


From Red to Green

by Adorable Blondes (Chloe), bansheequeen (queenbanshee), xtremeroswellian



Category: Smallville
Genre: Chlollie, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-22
Updated: 2014-03-18
Packaged: 2018-01-13 10:12:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1222402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chloe/pseuds/Adorable%20Blondes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU version of Hex/post-Hex involving Chloe, Ollie and Red!K.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For Malu who asked for a fic kinda sorta similar to this one and reminded me we had written this one a long time ago and that we should post it! 
> 
> Unbetaed. Sorry! Life is crazy and if I have time I will go back and take a look over it and correct anything that is necessary.

He wasn’t surprised to find her still at the party. Or rather, at what was _left_ of the party, which wasn’t much. The only other people he saw were employees who were cleaning up. She, on the other hand, sat cross-legged on a stool at the bar, sipping on a fancy red drink of some kind, a tiny umbrella in it. Raising his eyebrows a little, he held his breath as he headed toward her with the small box in his hand, silver and green ribbons tied in a neat bow on top. 

She felt him approaching her rather than saw him, “hey, you came back?” She asked, surprised and smiled lazily.

He smiled back, nodding. “Took care of the problem at QI, decided to see if you were still here. Even remembered your gift this time.” 

“I’m afraid you’re too late,” she said, smirking a little as she sipped on her drink, “gift opening time is already over.”

Oliver cocked his head to the side. “You won’t accept one more?” 

“I suppose I can make an exception,” she said, setting her drink down and reaching for the box.

He smiled faintly, handing it out to her as he leaned against the bar, ordering a drink for himself from the wary bartender.

She pulled on the ribbon and opened the box, arching her eyebrows when she saw a small, black earpiece. She glanced over at him and cocked her head a little.

Oliver held his breath for a moment. “I have a proposal for you,” he admitted.

“I guessed as much,” she said, placing the cover back on the box.

He pursed his lips. “I have a solution to your lament about Isis.” He gazed at her intently. “Come work with the team. Full time.” 

“I don’t know, Oliver...” she sighed a little, taking another sip of her drink.

His face fell a little, but he took a drink of his own. “Okay. Well, there’s no pressure. The offer won’t expire.” His voice was quiet.

Chloe watched him for a moment then took a deep breath, focusing on her drink, “as I’m sure you could tell from my speech earlier, my life is kind of a mess right now.”

A faint, wry smile touched his mouth and he looked down. “Yeah. I know the feeling,” he admitted.

“I just think I might need something a little less... unusual for a while. Something where people’s lives don’t depend on me.” She murmured, looking down then finishing off her drink.

He was quiet for a moment. “If it helps at all, there’s no one I’d trust more with my life at this point,” he said softly.

She looked over at him and smiled sadly, then shook her head, “then you are in a really bad shape.”

“I don’t think so.” He gazed at her, then finished off his own drink and set it down on the bar. “What do you say I take you home?” 

Chloe pursed her lips together and looked at him for a moment, watching him before nodding slightly, “no reason to stick around, right?” She said, pushing herself down from the stool and swaying slightly.

His eyes widened just a little and he shifted closer, winding an arm around her waist. “Easy there, Sidekick. How much did you have to drink?” 

“Not much, I thought,” she frowned, looking at her empty glass even as she leaned against him sideways.

“Maybe it had more alcohol and less fruit than it looked like,” he suggested, glancing down at her as he rested his hand on her hip to keep her upright.

“Yeah,” she murmured, looking down at his hand on her hip then up at him.

“Well, it’s all right. I’ll get you home safe,” he assured her with a soft smile as he met her eyes. 

“My hero,” she smirked, reaching for the box he had given her then looking up at him again, “can’t forget my gift.”

“Yeah, about that...your real gift is in the car.” He led her toward the door.

“What is that?” She asked, frowning curiously.

“Something you can use whether you take the job proposal or not.” He winked at her.

“So, you bring the gift about joining your secret club out in public, but leave the other gift in the car?” She grinned, turning to look up at him.

Oliver paused, considering that. “Okay, probably not my best choice.” 

She shook her head and wrapped her arm around his back, “thanks for coming back.”

“Just glad I could,” he admitted, leading her outside and toward his car. 

“Have you heard from Clark and Bart?” She asked, her voice lower.

“Yeah, Bart checked in a little while ago. They’re almost done,” he told her.

“Oh,” she nodded, holding her breath, “good.”

He hit the unlock button on his car remote, then moved over and opened the passenger side door for her. On the seat lay a medium-sized box wrapped in green paper with a silver bow, and a small round chocolate cake that said “Happy Birthday, Chloe” on the icing.

She looked down and her face softened when she saw the cake, “you got me a cake?” She asked, turning to face him, smiling a little.

“Yeah.” He smiled back without hesitation. “I know there was one at the party, but it wasn’t chocolate, so I thought you’d like this one.” 

“Thank you,” she said quietly, hesitating before stepping closer and giving him a hug.

He was caught off guard for a second, but he hugged her back. “You’re welcome,” he said softly.

She hugged him a little tighter then let go, looking up at him, “you’re a good friend, Ollie.”

Guilt swept over him at her words. No, he really wasn’t. “So are you,” he told her. At least that _was_ true.

Chloe cocked her head, watching him for a moment before turning to get into the car again.

“Don’t forget the present,” he said softly, moving around toward the driver’s side. 

She managed to settle with the cake on her lap, even if her head was spinning by now, but waited for him before she could open the other gift.

He slid into the driver’s side and stuck the key in the ignition, reaching out and taking the cake from her so she could open the gift. 

“Thanks.” She told him, before ripping the paper and cocking her head when she saw green leather, confused she pulled the gift all the way from the wrapping paper and smiled, arching her eyebrows, “a green leather jacket?”

“It just looked like something you’d like,” he said innocently, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning.

“Like something you’d like,” she corrected him, smiling and shaking her head, “it’s really soft.”

“You don’t like it?” 

“I do,” she said sincerely, turning to look at him, “it’s beautiful.”

He relaxed a little. “It’ll bring out those green eyes of yours.” He smiled and winked at her.

She held her breath a little and nodded, looking down at the jacket, “you really didn’t have to go through all this trouble, Ollie.”

“It wasn’t any trouble, Chloe,” he said honestly. He was quiet for a moment, waiting for the car to warm up as he watched her. “I don’t have a lot of actual friends, but I consider you to be one of the few. I wanted to do something special for your birthday.” 

Her face softened at that and she nodded slightly, watching him, “thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome,” he said softly, handing the cake to her so he could drive.

She took it and adjusted it on her lap once more, “you can take me to Isis,” she said quietly, “no need to drive all the way back to Smallville.”

“There are no beds at Isis,” he pointed out, raising his eyebrows. “And I don’t mind the drive.” 

“But it’s really long,” she sighed softly, adjusting against the seat and leaning her head back, “you must be tired.”

A smile tugged at his mouth. “Not really. And the company’s good.” 

She cocked her head to look at him, forcing her eyes open wider, “I don’t know how much company I will be,” she admitted tiredly.

He glanced at her sideways. “That’s okay.” He shifted the car into gear.

“Why did you come back?” She asked, sliding down against the seat.

Oliver paused. “It’s your birthday,” he said softly.

“Just another year.” She sighed softly.

He swallowed hard at that, guilt tugging at him once more, then he reached over and gave her arm a light squeeze.

She looked down at his hand then back at him, taking a deep breath then finally letting her eyes close.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, glancing over at her as she began to doze off, and then putting his hand back on the steering wheel once more. It was going to be a long drive to Smallville. 

* * * 

A little over two hours later, Oliver opened the passenger side door of his car and gently slid an arm beneath her legs, picking her up and cradling her against his chest. He’d already unlocked the Talon’s apartment door and brought in the cake and the jacket he’d got her. Now all that was left was making sure _she_ got in safely. 

Chloe made a quiet noise and wrapped her arms around his neck loosely, sighing deeply as she rested her head against his shoulder.

He smiled faintly, carrying her inside the Talon and up the stairs slowly, trying not to jostle her and wake her up. He made his way into her apartment once more, carrying her toward the bed and then gently laying her down. “Sweet dreams,” he whispered, pulling the covers up to her chin.

“Ollie?” She whispered, holding his hand.

He paused, looking down at their hands and then shifting his gaze to her face. “Yeah?” 

“Thank you,” she murmured, squeezing his hand a little as she hugged it to her.

He held his breath. “You’re welcome,” he whispered.

Chloe sighed deeply, her eyes closing once more and then she relaxed against the pillow.

He gazed down at her for a moment, a soft smile touching his mouth, then he turned and headed for the door. He had a long drive ahead before he was going to be able to sleep that night.

She opened her eyes again, watching him for a moment, her eyes glowing red before closing once more.


	2. Chapter 2

In the next morning, Chloe wasted no time before driving straight to Metropolis, she sped through the highway and through every red light, parked outside of the Queen Industries building and made her way up to the top floor, a smirk on her lips all the way there. 

She gave his assistant, secretary or whatever the hell she was a wave of dismissal, “don’t bother, I want it to be a surprise,” she told the girl before opening the door, grinning when she saw him sitting behind his desk, “Hi, Ollie.” 

Oliver blinked a couple of times and looked up, surprised to see her striding into his office after she shut the door behind her. “Chloe.” He raised his eyebrows a little. “Wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.” 

“I know,” she grinned, walking up to him, “I figured the least I could do was _thank_ you for everything you did last night.”

“Well, you thanked me last night,” he reminded her, though he wondered if she remembered. He cocked his head to the side, watching her as she approached. There was something different about her this morning, something less sad and a lot more confident. “The jacket looks great on you.” 

“Thank you,” she grinned more, walking around his desk, “I thought so too.”

He shifted in his chair, suddenly feeling wary. “Chloe, are you all right?” 

“I’m feeling _great_ ,” she smiled, leaning back against his desk and looking down at him, “but you look like you need to relax.”

Oliver looked up at her, a hint of confusion on his face. “I do?” 

“Clearly.” She arched an eyebrow then leaned down, loosening his tie, “why don’t you let me help?”

His eyes widened at her actions and for a moment he was too stunned to speak, let alone _move_. “Uh--- _what?_ ” 

She removed his tie completely and grinned, “don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

“Whoa, Chloe, look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but--” 

“But?” She asked, leaning closer and brushing her nose against his, holding his gaze.

The words died on his lips as she got in his personal space, and he swallowed hard as his groin tightened in response. 

She grinned and nodded slightly, “that’s what I thought,” she told him before pressing her lips to his and kissing him firmly. 

A soft groan escaped him and involuntarily he lifted a hand to her cheek as he returned the kiss without thinking about it. Kissing her was nothing like he’d imagined it would be (and of course it had occurred to him before. Chloe was a beautiful woman and he wasn’t blind, nor stupid). It wasn’t tentative and soft or hesitant in any way. It was insistent and intense and out of control. 

She leaned down, holding on to his shoulders and deepening the kiss even more as she moved to straddle his lap, a grin on her lips from his reaction to her already.

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting when she’d waltzed into his office, but it certainly wasn’t that she’d be on his lap engaging him in what was, by far, the best make-out session he’d been involved in for a very, very long time. His hands moved to rest on her hips of their own volition, and he found himself leaning back in the chair as she pressed against him. 

“You might want to tell your assistant you don’t want to be disturbed,” she smirked as she pulled away from him, reaching to undo the buttons of his shirt, “I’d hate to be interrupted.” 

His heart was beating hard against his chest and it took his brain a moment to register her words, and then he reached up and caught her hands, stilling them against his chest. “Wait.” 

Chloe paused and cocked her head, arching her eyebrows, “wait?”

Oliver shifted in his chair, tightening his hands on her hips and lifting her to sit on the edge of his desk. Then he rose to his feet and moved toward the door, opening it. “Gina, take the rest of the afternoon off,” he told her, raising his eyebrows a little, then shutting the door once more and locking it. 

She grinned, watching him and nodding, “even better,” she said, adjusting on his desk and pushing a pile of papers to the floor to make room.

He watched her, chewing the inside of his cheek for a moment before moving back toward her. “What’s going on?” 

“What do you mean what is going on?” She asked, frowning, “I thought I was pretty clear,” she waved a hand to the bulge on his pants, “you obviously got the message.”

Oh, he’d definitely gotten the message all right. And now he needed a cold shower. “But what brought this...” He waved his hand toward her. “On at all?” He shook his head a little. “You’ve never expressed any interest in _me_ before.” 

She sighed, rolling her eyes, “why are you trying to rationalize this at all?” She asked, pushing herself off the desk and walking toward him, “maybe I was just too shy. But it doesn’t matter. I’m here now.”

Yes, she was. And coming toward him with _that_ look in her eye again, in fact. “You’re not really acting like yourself, Chloe.” 

“Or maybe I’m _finally_ acting like myself, Ollie,” she said, keeping her voice low. 

Oliver paused at that. “Well, what brought it on?” he asked, lowering his voice, as well as he watched her. 

“Last night,” she said, lifting a hand and touching his cheek then running a finger over his lips, “helped me see you under a whole new light.”

He swallowed hard as their gazes locked once more. “Because I got you a cake?” 

“And you came back,” she smirked, dropping her hand to his shirt once again. 

His chest tightened at that. “I came back because I wanted to, Chloe. You don’t owe me anything. You know that, right?” 

“Of course I know I don’t _owe_ you anything,” she shook her head, “I’m doing this because I _want_ to, is that so hard to understand?”

“It’s a little confusing,” he said carefully, watching her closely, unable to resist reaching out and tucking some hair behind her ear. 

“And that’s why you should stop thinking,” she said, her eyes darker as she stepped closer, “and start acting.”

He was starting to think he’d somehow fallen asleep and was dreaming. Either that or he’d managed to stumble into the Naughty Twilight Zone. His fingers itched to reach out and touch her again, and his body agreed with that sentiment whole-heartedly. But this was _Chloe_. And Chloe didn’t just show up at his office and jump him. It was difficult to keep reminding himself of that when she was so close, looking at him like he was a dessert she was dying to try out. 

“C’mon, Ollie,” she grinned, tugging his shirt open and stepping even closer to him, “how about we have fun for a change?”

He met her eyes once more, a groan escaping him at the lust he saw there. Unable to resist, he ducked his head and kissed her again, his tongue brushing against hers lightly and sending a spark of electricity through his veins.

Chloe grinned more, kissing him deeply and wrapping her arms around him as she pressed her body as close to his as she could.

Oliver picked her up, turning them so her back was up against the door as they kissed. 

She locked her legs around him and broke the kiss, lowering her head to his jaw, biting his skin then running her tongue over it.

He hissed at the pleasure-pain sensation, his arms tightening around her just a little as he dropped his head to press a kiss to her ear, nipping lightly at her earlobe. 

Chloe shivered and smiled, turning her head and moving her mouth to his neck, her hands tugging on his shirt the rest of the way and pushing it to the side. 

He slid one hand up and into her hair, tangling his fingers in the still-curly blond strands and forcing himself to take a deep breath. “You know what would make this even better?” 

“Less clothes?” She breathed, smirking as she reached to unzip her jacket, “it’s getting hot.”

Every last thought that had been in his brain trickled out as she unzipped the jacket to reveal the fact that she was _wearing nothing beneath it_. “Christ, Chloe,” he muttered. 

She opened the jacket completely but kept it on so it was still partially covering her breasts, “if you’re still thinking,” she said, running her fingers over his bare chest, “I’m obviously not doing something right,” as she said that, she tightened her legs around him, pressing her hips firmly against his.

He gulped. “Thinking?” he echoed stupidly.

“Better,” she grinned brightly, looking up at him then lowering her mouth to his neck once more, “now start acting on it.” She murmured against his skin before sucking on it lightly.

Oliver licked his lips before tugging her head back and returning the favor, pressing his mouth to her pulse point and scraping his teeth over her skin gently, then licking it. 

Chloe shivered and smirked, reaching for his hand and guiding it to her breast as she bit down on his neck.

He inhaled sharply as his fingers brushed against her bare skin and he pulled his head back, his eyes dark with desire as he rubbed his thumb lightly over her nipple, looking up to meet her eyes. 

She moaned, her hand squeezing his as she held his gaze back for a moment before leaning in and kissing him hard, with need as she let go of his hand to cup his neck and pull him closer.

He returned the kiss instantly, still cupping her breast in one hand even as his other hand traveled farther south, moving to rub her thigh. He pulled her away from the door and carried her across the office to lay her down on his couch. 

Chloe shivered and the second he laid her down on the couch, she took a deep breath and looked up, not hesitating before reaching to undo his belt, her eyes dark as she smirked at him.

“Slow down, Beautiful. There’s no rush,” he told her, raising his eyebrows a little as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her bare stomach.

“There is no need to slow down,” she said, shuddering as she lifted her head to look at him.

He cocked his head as he met her eyes again. “Contrary to what some believe, foreplay can be almost as great as actual sex,” he said, kneeling down beside the couch and undoing the button on her jeans.

“I’m aware,” she grinned, lifting her hips for him after pressing her feet on the couch, “as long as you don’t change your mind when we get to the ‘actual sex’. Because I’m really not interested on leaving without what I came here for.”

He smirked at that, raising his eyebrows as he unzipped her jeans and started sliding them down her hips and legs, holding his breath for a moment as he took in the sight of her in just the green leather jacket and pair of black panties. “Wow,” he murmured.

“I didn’t own any in green to match the jacket,” she said, enjoying the look on his face as she brushed her foot against the side of his thigh.

“I’ll have to remedy that in the future, but uh--this is great, too,” he told her, swallowing hard. 

“Are you just gonna stare?” She grinned, hooking her thumb on the side of her panties and tugging it down slightly, “I would have stayed home if I have to do all the work myself.”

“Kinda hard _not_ to stare,” he told her, raising his eyebrows. “You’re beautiful.” He stilled her hand, replacing it with his own and then pausing when his phone began to ring.

She frowned at the interruption and looked toward his desk, “ignore it.” She told him firmly, covering his hand with her own.

Oliver glanced toward the phone, as well, then shrugged, ignoring it as she’d instructed. He leaned down and pressed a kiss over her belly button, groaning when a moment later his cell phone began to ring. 

Chloe slid her fingers through his hair, holding her breath, “it will stop eventually.” She breathed, rubbing both her feet against the back of his legs.

“It could be an emergency,” he murmured, pressing one more kiss to her skin before reluctantly pulling away and moving to answer the phone.

“Oliver!” She gasped, eyes narrowing as he moved away and she sat up.

He gave her an apologetic look even as he pressed the phone to his ear. “Hello?” 

She glared at him, pulling her jeans back up and zipping them up again as she stood.

“This better be important,” he said, frowning as she started to get dressed again.

When he started talking, she rolled her eyes and zipped up her jacket too, then glared at him.

“I’ll have to call you back,” he said, hanging up the phone and tossing it into the chair. “I thought it might have been Bart or Clark.” 

“And clearly they are more important,” she said, arching her eyebrows.

“Only because they were on a mission and might be in trouble.” He stared at her.

She smirked, shaking her head, “and I thought you might actually want to have fun.”

“Having fun and dealing with responsibilities aren’t mutually exclusive, Chloe.” He took a step toward her, shaking his head a little.

“Oh, yes they are.” She said louder, “because all I have been doing for the past three years or so is being responsible, cleaning up after Clark, cleaning up after _you_!” She accused, “and I’m done.”

Oliver was caught off guard by her sudden burst of anger, even as guilt tugged at him. He was well aware of how much Chloe had sacrificed in order to help him; in order to help Clark. But he also knew that something was definitely wrong if Chloe was so angry that he’d been concerned about their friends. He held his hands up as if to surrender. “Okay, no more phone calls.” 

“No longer interested.” She said, eyes narrowing at him for a moment before she started for the door and unlocked it.

He caught her arm easily. “Chloe, what’s going on?” 

Her eyes narrowed even more, dark, this time with anger, “you better let go of me right now, Oliver.” She said in a low voice, “unless you want everyone to hear about how much of a coward you are.”

Oliver stared at her for a second and let go of her arm. “Something’s not right with you, Chloe.” 

“Oh, there’s a lot that is wrong with me,” she smirked, “but I’m going to start getting rid of you, one by one, and why not start with the murderer? Your secrets are one of the worst ones I’m keeping after all.” She snorted, “and you call yourself a hero.”

All the blood drained from his face at her words and he looked down, his chest tight as he fell completely silent.

“Should have listened to me, _Ollie_.” She told him before pulling the door open and making her way out of the office.


	3. Chapter 3

Clark had spent most of the day just hanging out with Bart after they finished up their mission in Keystone. He was still smiling a little as he unlocked the door to the farmhouse and stepped inside, flipping on the light and pausing when he spotted Chloe seated on the sofa. “Chloe? What are you doing here?” 

Chloe stood up once she saw him and smirked, “well, took you long enough to get back.”

He frowned a little and headed for the kitchen. “I wasn’t aware you were monitoring my schedule.” 

“Why wouldn’t I, Clark? My life revolves around you, right?” She said, following him.

His frown deepened. “Don’t be ridiculous, Chloe.”

“No, I’m done being ridiculous,” she said, grinning softly, “speaking of, is there a reason you were able to go see _Oliver_ to hand him my birthday present, but couldn’t be bothered to come see me? Or _call_ me on my birthday?”

Clark was silent for a moment. “I don’t want Jimmy thinking that I’m taking your side over his in this whole mess,” he admitted. “I really think the two of you need to sit down and talk things out.” 

Chloe stilled at that, “you’re worried about _Jimmy_?” She laughed, but there was no humor in it, “you are worried about _his_ feelings? You never even approved of him, Clark and now you’re worried he might be hurt because you might be supportive of your _oldest friend_?”

“Chloe, _you’re_ the one who wanted me to get to know him and be friends with him in the first place,” he pointed out, turning to face her. “And the only reason I didn’t approve was because he doesn’t know everything. How can you have a real relationship when there are all these secrets you have to keep from him?” He shook his head a little. “But you married him. You guys took vows. And that means something.” 

“And he broke it off!” She told him then paused, grinning and shaking her head, “wait, you believe him, don’t you? You believe I was cheating on him!”

“I didn’t say that,” Clark said defensively, folding his arms across his chest. “But you have to admit, you and Davis Bloome have been spending a lot of time together, and you can’t exactly blame Jimmy for being suspicious.” 

“God, Clark,” she shook her head, stepping forward, “how can you be such a gigantic asshole?”

He stared at her in disbelief. “I’m not being that. I’m just playing devil’s advocate here, Chlo.” 

“Against someone who has known you for most of your life, someone who knows all your secrets and had done nothing but _protect_ them and protect _you_? I have told you nothing has happened, but it doesn’t fucking matter because any chance you get to judge me and look down on me, you will! You don’t fucking deserve my loyalty, you never have.”

His eyes were wide by the time she got done yelling at him. “What is _wrong_ with you? Why are you yelling at me?” 

“Because I’m done,” she said, reaching for the small box that was on the counter and opening it, grinning when she picked up the kryptonite from the inside. “I’m done with you walking all over me, I’m done forgetting _my_ life because of you, I’m done cleaning up your messes and I’m done dealing with your alien bullshit!”

The moment she lifted the Kryptonite from its box, he doubled over in pain, nausea washing over him as he fell to his knees. “Chloe, what...are you...doing...” 

She pushed him back so he was laying on the floor, holding the kryptonite up above him before kicking him hard between his legs, “maybe if you felt an ounce of the pain you cause for once, you’d learn to be more human.”

He gasped in pain, coughing as he twitched on the floor. “Stop,” he whispered.

“Oh, I’m done.” She told him, placing the kryptonite over one of the kitchen chairs. “Maybe eventually you will be done too, if one of your other lapdogs comes check on you,” She reached on his back pocket and picked up his phone, leaving it over the table so he couldn’t go near it, “but don’t count on me rushing to your rescue this time, and see how things turn out for you without me around.”

He groaned, his arms circling his stomach as he shuddered, looking up at the Kryptonite and then at Chloe. She couldn’t seriously be leaving him like this, could she?

“Have a good life, Clark,” she told him then looked over, “c’mon, Shelby! Time to go play outside.” She said to the dog as he happily followed her out the front door, “can’t have him using you to get out of there.”

Shelby barked, tail wagging as he trodded alongside her to her car.

* * * 

Oliver paced back and forth in the clock tower as he held the phone to his ear. “Look, I just need you to help me find her. I can’t get Clark to return my calls. And I’m telling you, Bart, something’s _not_ right.” 

“Man, unless you tell me _more_ about what happened, I can’t agree or disagree with you, why are you saying she was acting weird?” He asked between bites of pizza on the other side of the line.

Oliver sighed impatiently. “Would you please just go look for her?” 

“Well, do you have any idea where she could be?” He asked, “she might just be with Clark.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know since Clark hasn’t returned any of my phone messages.” 

“That’s not news,” Bart shrugged, “but what was Chloe doing?”

“It’s _personal_ ,” he informed the younger man, growing irritated.

Bart was silent for a moment and arched his eyebrows, “right,” he said, “so she was in Metropolis?”

“Was being the keyword,” he said, sighing as he paused, catching sight of movement on one of the camera feeds. He moved to his computer and pulled up the parking garage feed, blinking when he saw Chloe standing beside his bright red porsche. With a golden retriever. “Nevermind, I’m looking at her right now.” 

“Where is she?” Bart asked, frowning. “Did she go back there?”

“She’s in my parking garage.” He stared for a moment as she slid into the driver’s seat. “Stealing one of my cars!” 

“No way!” Bart said, “she is just borrowing it, man.”

“Without asking?” Oliver shook his head, moving toward the elevator. “I’ll call you later.” 

“Wait!” Bart called, but it was too late.

He just made it down to the parking garage as she was pulling out of the parking space. “Hey!” he yelled.

Chloe looked at him over her shoulder and locked the door, smirking then waving at him. 

“What are you doing?” he demanded, shaking his head. 

“Having fun,” she pressed down the accelerator, but left the car in park, “but you wouldn’t know anything about that.

“Then maybe you should teach me.” He raised his eyebrows a little. 

“You will try to stop me,” she said, pressing her foot down again, “the first one from your team to come anywhere near me, will hear the truth about you, and so much more, so I suggest you keep them _out of this_ ,” she said dangerously.

“Look,” he said, holding his hands up. “I won’t try to stop you from having fun. Just let me come along for the ride.” 

“Fuck off, Oliver.” She told him before shifting the gear and speeding away, toward the exit of the garage.

He stared after the car, open-mouthed. What the _fuck_ was going on?

* * *

Her next stop was just as much fun as the last, she made her way upstairs to Jimmy’s crappy apartment and wasted no time in finding a laundry basket, she dropped the contents in the middle of the hallway, then started to gather her things, not bothering to check if he was home or not. 

A moment later, he stepped out of the bedroom, holding a baseball bat and then freezing when he spotted her. “ _Chloe?_ ” There was a hint of disbelief in his tone. “What are you doing here?” 

“Gonna take me out with that?” She smirked, barely glancing at him before opening a drawer and snorting when she saw cash, picking it up and sliding it into her pocket, “for those six months of rent you didn’t pay. It’s a start.”

“What the fuck, Chloe?” he demanded, lowering the bat to the floor and glaring at her. “What do you think you’re doing? Get out of here!” 

“Getting what is _mine_ ,” she yelled back at him, “where is the ring?”

“I pawned it,” he informed her coldly. “Now get the hell out of my apartment.” 

She squinted, watching him for a moment, “are you high?” She asked, noticing his eyes.

“Are _you_?” he snorted, glaring. 

“I’ve never seen clearer,” she said, arching her eyebrows, “and now it’s obvious how much of a fucking loser you are.”

“ _I’m_ a loser? Look at _you_. You’re fucking a killer,” he snapped. 

“I should be,” she said, smirking, “I wasn’t but, no time like the present,” she threw the basket at him. “at least he is a man. Can’t say the same about you.”

He ducked, stunned as the basket went crashing into the wall. “Get out before I call the police, you crazy fucking bitch!” 

“Call the cops about what, Jimmy?” She grinned, “how you lived off of me ever since we got together? How you’re addicted to painkillers? Or about your dick that doesn’t work!?” She asked, laughing, “glad to finally be rid of you.”

“Likewise. Now I’m finally seeing you for who you really are,” he responded, pointing to the door. “Get _out_.” 

“You and Clark deserve each other.” She said, “and you are literally in a dump, sounds fitting,” she told him, slamming the door on her way out.

* * * 

“Have you seen Chloe?” Oliver didn’t bother a more formal greeting when Lois finally answered her telephone. 

Lois blinked, “hi to you too, Ollie.” She frowned, “I’m just getting off the plane.”

“...Right. Mexico. I forgot.” He rubbed his hand over his face. 

“What’s going on?” She asked, worried.

“That’s the thing. I don’t know. She’s not herself,” he said carefully.

“She’s not herself?” She asked, “what do you mean? What is she doing?”

“She stole one of my cars, for one,” he informed her, pacing the length of the room.

“What?” Lois gasped, “ _Chloe_ did?”

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “Obviously something big is going on with her. She was fine the night of her party.” 

“She wouldn’t do that,” Lois told him shaking her head, “Chloe is the most responsible person I know, Ollie.”

“Lois, normally I’d agree with you one hundred percent, but I’m telling you that she waltzed into my parking garage and stole my porsche.” He left out the parts about how she’d jumped him hours before then and told him to fuck off as she was driving away.

“Did you talk to her? Is she in some kind of trouble?” Lois asked quickly then added, “is Clark in some kind of trouble, maybe she just needed to get somewhere fast.”

“I have no idea. I’ve left him a bunch of messages, but he hasn’t returned my calls,” he told her with a soft sigh. “And yeah, I talked to her earlier today, and believe me, she wasn’t herself.”

“What did she say?” Lois pressed then pulled the phone from her ear, “what are you driving? A tractor, _speed up!_ ” She yelled at the cab driver.

Oliver winced as she yelled in his ear. “Look, just trust me on this one, okay? I think she may be possessed or something.”

“She has to be, because Chloe would never steal anything, unless she was trying to help someone else.” Lois said firmly, “I’m getting to Smallville now and once I have my car and I’m not _driving around like my grandma_ ,” she said pointedly, “I will get back to Metropolis and help you find her.”

“Yeah, all right.” He pursed his lips for a moment. “Do me a favor before you drive back and check and see if she went to Clark’s, okay?” 

“Yeah,” Lois told him, then paused, “Ollie?”

“Yeah?” 

“Did she take a red porsche?” She asked.

Oliver paused. “Yes, why?” 

“I don’t know if she’s here,” Lois told her, “but the car is outside the Talon.”

“Okay, Lois, be careful, all right? Because if she’s possessed, she could be dangerous.” There was a hint of worry in his voice.

“I know how to deal with Chloe,” she said, handing the driver a lot more cash than she owed him then grabbing her one suitcase and getting out of the car. “I’ll call if she’s not inside.”

“All right. I’m gonna head that way,” he informed her.

“Don’t come in,” she warned, “if something is going on, I’ll handle her, but if you can’t find Clark, you might wanna stop and check on him.”

“All right. It’ll take me awhile to get there, but call if something comes up. I’ll see you soon.” 

“I will.” She said,taking a deep breath as she paused at the top of the stairs, “see you soon.” She told him before hanging up.

Oliver hung up, as well, grabbing the keys to his bike and his helmet as he headed for the elevator.


	4. Chapter 4

Chloe was taking a long sip straight from a bottle of whiskey when the door to the apartment opened, she arched her eyebrow when she saw her cousin coming in and grinned, “oh, it’s miss big shot reporter! Gracing us mortals with her presence!” 

Lois paused at that, arching her own eyebrows as she looked at her cousin. “Little early to be drinking, isn’t it?” She cocked her head and set her bag down on the floor.

“Early?” Chloe asked her and laughed, “at least I stopped from last night, when you do it, you don’t do you?” She placed the bottle on the counter, “I guess it’s just one more thing you are better than me at.”

Yep, definitely not herself, Lois agreed silently with Oliver, moving over toward her and hopping up onto the stool next to Chloe’s. She gave her a wary look, and picked up the bottle, taking a drink and holding it out to her. “Whiskey, huh? What’s going on, Chlo?” 

“Don’t worry, Lois.” She said firmly, “I won’t bother you with _my_ life since yours is keeping you so busy.” She told her. “Since you are living what my life was _supposed_ to be, why don’t you tell me what that’s like?”

“I have been busy,” Lois agreed, gazing at her intently. “But I’m _never_ too busy if you need me.” 

Chloe laughed, but it was weak as she shook her head, “I don’t need you,” she told her, standing up, “I don’t need _any_ of you. All I am is a stepping stone for you to get what you want and you already have everything _I_ wanted so I’m done!”

Lois stood, too. “Chloe, _what_ are you talking about?” She shook her head. “Lex firing you from the Planet wasn’t _my_ fault.” 

“No, it was Clark’s.” She said sharply, “But you,” she pointed, “you are there because of _me_. But that’s just how things happen for you, isn’t it Lois? Things just fall on your lap because you are just _that_ much better.”

Tears sprang to her eyes at Chloe’s harsh words, but she did her best to blink them back. “Better?” she echoed, shaking her head again. “Hardly. Chloe, the only reason I even went into journalism in the first place was because of _you_. Because I admired you. I’ve _always_ looked up to you. How screwed up is that considering I’m the oldest one here?” 

“You’re lying.” She accused, but her voice wasn’t as firm anymore, “I have nothing for you to look up to, you have everything!”

Her voice shook when she spoke. “Are you _kidding_ me? Nothing for me to look up to? Chloe, you’ve always been a hundred times smarter than me. You’re a hell of a lot better writer than I am. People _trust_ you. _I_ trust you.” She sniffed. “If you want me to quit the Planet, all you have to do is say the word, and I will. God, don’t you know that you are more important to me than any _job_ ever could be?” 

Her jaw clenched and she stared at Lois, “don’t ever do me any favors.” She told her tightly then reached for Oliver’s keys on the counter and started for the door.

“Oh _hell_ no.” Lois moved, dodging in front of her, blocking her path to the door. “If you think I’m going to let you climb behind a car like this, you are sadly mistaken.” 

“Get out of my way, Lois.” She told her through clenched teeth.

“Forget it,” she responded flatly. 

“Fine.” Chloe told her then shoved Lois against the door before dashing toward the window.

“The fire escape isn’t down,” Lois informed her.

She didn’t answer, just pushed the window up then took a deep breath, “I’m not looking for it.” Chloe told here, sliding a leg outside the window and tossing the keys down.

Alarmed, Lois moved quickly, grabbing her arm. “Have you _lost_ your mind? You’ll break your damn leg!” 

“Let go of me!” Chloe ordered angrily, tugging her arm away from Lois as hard as she could.

But not hard enough to break Lois’s grasp on her. She yanked her back inside, none-too-gently. “Look, I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you, but I’m not letting you jump out a second story window or drive drunk, so get your ass back in here and sit down right _now!_ ” 

Chloe gasped and lost her balance as Lois pulled her inside, knocking her head hard against the window and sliding down to the floor of the apartment, unconscious.

Lois’s eyes widened and she quickly knelt down beside her. “Oh God. Chloe? _Shit_.” She reached out and pressed her fingers to her cousin’s neck, relief washing over her as she felt her pulse, strong and steady. “I’m sorry, Sweetie,” she whispered, moving closer and cradling her cousin in her lap. 

Her head turned against Lois’ arm, but she didn’t move otherwise.

“Everything’s gonna be okay,” Lois murmured, reaching up and tucking some hair behind Chloe’s ear. “We’ll figure out whatever’s going on.” 

* * * 

The fact that the door was unlocked left Oliver feeling even more unsettled as he peered into the farmhouse. Not that the super-powered alien really needed a door lock to keep _him_ safe. Still, it was a little unnerving, all things considered. “Clark?” he called, stepping inside.

Clark was still on the floor, barely conscious but groaned when he heard his name.

And _that_ definitely wasn’t a good noise. He quickly moved toward the kitchen, his eyes widening as he saw Clark lying on the floor. “Clark!” He looked at the table and spotted the green rock on one of the chairs, wincing. Chloe _really_ hadn’t been kidding. He grabbed the rock and pitched it out the back door without hesitation. 

He took a deep breath, coughing, color returning to his face a moment later, “Chloe.” He said, pushing himself to sit up a moment later. 

“I know,” Oliver admitted grimly, holding his hand out to help the other man up. 

Clark stood up and stared at Oliver, “where is she?”

“Not sure,” he said, chewing the inside of his cheek. “Possibly at the Talon.” 

“I’ll go find her,” he said, jaw tightening. 

“I think she’s possessed,” Oliver said bluntly, heading toward the front room. 

“What makes you so sure?” He asked.

“Come on, Clark. This is Chloe. She’s not going to steal cars or try to kill you _unless_ she’s possessed.” He gave the younger man a look. 

“She stole a car?” He asked, his eyes widening. 

“Fortunately it was just one of mine,” he told Clark. 

“She took Shelby,” Clark said, eyes narrowing again, “I’ll meet you at the Talon.”

“All right. I’ll see you soon.” He quickly headed for his car. He wanted to make sure he got there as quickly as possible because he had a feeling he was going to be needed. 

Clark sped away a second later. 

* * * 

“Chloe!” Clark called, pushing the door open and barging into the Talon apartment. 

Lois looked up from where she sat on the floor still, Chloe’s head resting in her lap. “Clark?” She sniffed a little and her eyebrows furrowed. 

“Lois?” He gasped, his eyes widening as he hurried toward them.

“She’s okay, I think. I sort of...accidentally knocked her out when she tried to jump out the window.” 

“Are _you_ okay?” He asked, focusing on her.

Lois drew in a breath and let it out slowly, nodding. “Yeah, I’m fine. She was just ranting like she hated me and then she tried to leave, but she’d been drinking, so I wouldn’t let her out the door. Then she tried to dive out the window.” 

“She was _drinking_ too?” He asked, staring down at Lois.

“Yeah. And whiskey, no less, which I have to tell you, has _never_ been Chloe’s drink of choice.” She looked down at her cousin. 

“Maybe I should take her somewhere else. So you are safe.” He said.

Lois looked up in disbelief. “Clark, she’s not going to _hurt_ me.” 

“You don’t know that, Lois.” He told her, “she hurt _me_.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What did she do?” 

“She kicked me,” he frowned, “and took Shelby.” He said, only now noticing the dog was sleeping on the couch. 

Lois blinked. “She _kicked_ you,” she echoed dubiously.

“Yes,” he said, shifting uncomfortably.

“Well, possessed or not, I’m still stronger than she is and so are you.” She looked down at her cousin again, wincing a little at the sight of the bruise forming on her temple. 

“But if she’s not herself, she might still be able to hurt you,” he argued. 

“Smallville, you’re _not_ taking her out of here and away from me, so forget it,” Lois said sharply. 

Clark sighed, then crossed his arms over his chest, “I’m not leaving you alone with her either.” He said. 

“Fine,” she responded, giving him a look. 

He leaned against the wall but kept his eyes on Chloe, only looking up when the door opened again. 

“What the hell is with everyone just walking right in? There’s a door, you know,” Lois said, annoyed as Oliver stepped inside. 

He grimaced. “Sorry,” he said with a slight shrug. 

“She hit her head,” Clark told Oliver standing up straight.

“After attempting to jump out the window,” Lois added. 

Oliver’s eyes widened. “She tried to jump out the window?” 

“At least your car is outside.” Clark told him, “and my dog.” 

He drew in a breath and looked at Lois. “You’re sure she’s all right?” 

Lois nodded slightly. “She hit her head on the window when I yanked her back inside to keep her from jumping out. But her breathing’s fine, and her pulse is strong.” 

“We don’t know how she will be when she wakes up,” Clark said, “I still think I should take her somewhere else.”

“No,” Lois said again, narrowing her eyes at him. “God, Smallville, chill out. I’m sorry she kicked you, but there are three of us here now, including Green Arrow. I think we can probably handle whatever she throws at us.” 

“Right,” he said, eyes narrowing a little at Oliver, “how did you find out about Chloe anyway?”

His eyes widened just a little. “Uh--she showed up and stole my car,” he said quickly. 

“You said that, but did you see her?” He pressed.

“Yes,” Oliver said, pursing his lips. “When I tried to stop her she told me to go to hell and then she sped off.” 

“That really doesn’t sound like her at all.” Lois said. “She has to have been possessed again, like you said.” 

Oliver nodded slightly in agreement, his gaze dropping down to Chloe’s still motionless form and he exhaled. “It’s not like we haven’t seen things like this before.” 

“No, and she tried to kill herself last time too,” Lois sighed. 

“That was different.” Clark frowned. “She was possessed by a ghost.”

“How do you know it’s different?” Oliver questioned, then paused. “Wait, she tried to kill herself before?” His eyes widened. 

“Because this time she knew things only Chloe would know,” Clark pointed out.

Lois took a deep breath and nodded, “it wasn’t her, it was the ghost.”

Oliver looked between them worriedly, then down at Chloe. “That’s true, Clark, but we still don’t know _what’s_ possessing her.” 

“Maybe she wasn’t possessed,” he insisted. 

He turned to look at Clark, arching his eyebrows. “We have another theory?” 

“Lois said she was drinking,” he shrugged.

“Well, she wasn’t drunk when she stole my porsche.” 

“Are you sure?” Clark pressed. 

“Trust me, Clark, I know what drunk looks like,” Oliver said wryly. 

“What did she say to you?” Clark asked, pushing himself from the wall.

“That she was done with me, and that I can go to hell.” 

“Done with you?” Lois echoed, looking up at Oliver. 

He drew in a breath. “She’s been doing some part time work for me for a few months,” he admitted quietly. 

“Maybe you did something.” Clark accused, focusing on Oliver.

“Excuse me?” He narrowed his eyes a little. 

“She went after you first,” he said, taking a step forward.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t to _kick_ me,” Oliver said pointedly. Pretty far from it, actually. 

“To _steal_ from you.” He pointed out.

He hesitated for a moment. “Still. That didn’t actually hurt me.” 

“She was just talking to me,” Lois said, shifting Chloe on her lap slightly. 

“She wasn’t herself,” Oliver said quietly. “So whether it was some kind of possession or something else entirely, we should try not to take things too personally.” 

“Yeah,” Lois agreed, “she wasn’t herself.”

Clark frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

“How long has she been unconscious?” Oliver asked as he moved over to sit down beside Lois.

“Not sure,” Lois said, “maybe about 15 minutes?”

He hesitantly reached out and touched Chloe’s face, falling silent as he gazed down at her.

Lois arched her eyebrows and stared at him blinking when Chloe shifted on her lap, “I think she’s waking up.”

“Chloe?” Oliver’s voice was quiet, hesitant. “Can you hear me?” 

“Be careful,” Clark frowned, stepping forward. 

Chloe shifted again, holding her breath as she cocked her head slightly, but kept her eyes closed. 

“Maybe we should take her to the hospital,” Oliver suggested, glancing at Lois. 

“I can take her.” Clark said. stepping closer. 

Chloe opened her eyes and they turned red for a second, then she blinked a couple of times and they were back to normal. 

Clark stepped back instantly, staring. 

“Did you see that?” Oliver’s eyes widened a little in surprise. 

“Uh oh.” Lois’s eyes were wide, too. “I suddenly have a pretty good idea what brought this on.” 

“What?” Clark asked, his eyes a little wide as he looked at Lois. 

Chloe slowly lifted a hand to her head and sighed, closing her eyes again.

“That red meteor crap that screws with people,” Lois muttered. “Remember? You and I were infected with it a couple years ago.” She glanced at Ollie. “Apparently it makes people act out in ways we normally wouldn’t. I don’t remember it, but Chloe filled me in some of my...uh, adventures.” She sighed. 

“We don’t know that was what it was.” Clark insisted, pulling away from Chloe. 

“Lois?” Chloe murmured, squinting. 

“I’m right here,” Lois assured her cousin with a soft smile. 

Holding her breath, she pushed herself up slowly, “what happened?”

Oliver held his breath, as well, chewing the inside of his cheek for a moment and glancing sideways at Lois. 

“You don’t remember?” Lois asked carefully, resting her hand on Chloe’s arm. 

She squinted a little, reaching up for her head then stilling, her eyes widening slightly as she turned to look at her cousin again, stomach dropping.

By the look on her face, Oliver was pretty certain she remembered everything. “Lois, didn’t you say you didn’t remember things from when you were infected with the red rocks?” He raised his eyebrows a little. 

“Not a thing,” Lois confirmed instantly. 

Chloe winced when she heard Oliver’s voice but didn’t look up at him, instead, she focused on her cousin. “I remember, whatever that was.” She said quietly, “I’m so sorry, Lo.”

“Hey, who among hasn’t been under the influence of some kind of rock or ghost or crazed prom queen and done or said things they didn’t mean?” Lois shrugged. “It’s just part of living in Kansas.” 

“Right.” Chloe nodded a little, holding her breath. 

“So you remember everything?” Clark spoke finally. 

Oliver glanced at him, drawing in a breath and letting it out slowly before looking back at Chloe. “Why don’t we give her a little breathing room?” he suggested to Clark. 

Clark looked from Oliver to Chloe then pulled back.

“Yes, I do.” She answered regardless, looking over at Clark. 

“Well, like Lois said, weird things have happened to all of us around here.” Oliver smiled, but it was faint and forced. 

Chloe held her breath then looked over at him finally, pursing her lips together.

He met her eyes for a second, then quickly diverted his gaze. “So, nothing to worry about.” He drew in a breath, pushing himself to his feet. “How’s your head?” 

“Okay,” she said, looking back down and taking a deep breath.

“Good,” he said quietly. 

She took a deep breath then slowly pushed herself to stand up, her head pounding. “I’m okay.” She told them, her stomach tight. She really didn’t want to look at any of them right now.

“Are you sure?” Lois asked worriedly, looking at her. “Why don’t we get you some water or something?”

“I’ll get it,” Chloe nodded, “thank you.”

Nodding, she chewed her lower lip, not looking convinced as Chloe headed toward the kitchen. Before either of them had a chance to stop him, Clark followed her. 

Chloe felt rather than saw Clark following her, but didn’t bother looking at him, she headed for the cupboard and pulled out a glass.

“How did you get infected?” His voice was annoyed. 

“I don’t know.” She said, opening the freezer and pulling out ice.

“You must have _some_ idea.” 

“I don’t, Clark.” She sighed, “I woke up like that...”

“You don’t just wake up infected by red Kryptonite, Chloe,” he whispered. 

“I’m aware of that, Clark.” She took a deep breath, “I’ll figure it out.”

“You could’ve killed me.” 

Chloe paused and turned to look at him, “I know.” She said quietly, her stomach turning, “and I know I owe you an apology, but give me time to figure out what happened first?”

Clark looked away. “I just don’t understand, Chloe,” he said quietly. 

She let out her breath, “I’ll figure it out.”

He didn’t look at her. “Fine. I’m gonna head out.” He walked out of the kitchen without waiting for her to respond. 

She sighed deeply, rubbing her hands over her face and leaning back against the counter. 

“Did you really kick him?” Lois asked a moment later, raising her eyebrows as she tried not to smirk. 

“Yeah,” she said quietly, dropping her hands to her sides but not looking at Lois.

She sighed softly. “Chloe. Don’t worry about it. Long-term, no real actual damage was done. Clark’s fine. And it’s not like Ollie’s going to call the police and tell them you made off with his porsche.” 

Chloe held her breath and nodded slightly, wishing it was really that simple. She paused before turning to look at her cousin, “is he still here?” She asked in a whisper.

“He said something about wanting to get back to Metropolis to do the whole patrolling thing. But he wasn’t upset. Trust me. I know Ollie.” 

She nodded slightly and relaxed a little, two down, one to go. For now anyway. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow,” she said quietly before pushing herself from the counter, “I’m really sorry for everything I said do you, Lo.”

Lois smiled at that, moving over and wrapping her arms around Chloe. “I meant what I said,” she whispered. “Just so you know.” 

“I’m proud of you,” she said sincerely as she hugged Lois and closed her eyes, “and I know how hard you have worked for everything.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, but let’s face it. We both know you worked harder,” she said quietly, pulling away to look at her cousin. “And Lex firing you was...” She sighed softly. “He’s an evil moron, Chloe.” 

“I know,” she tried for a smile, “but he’s gone now and... maybe I should just give journalism another try eventually. There’s enough space for both of us.”

“Hell yes there is,” Lois agreed instantly. “Plus, think of the possibilities. We could take down _anyone_ together.” She grinned. 

Nodding a little, she shrugged, “we will give that a try sometime.” she said, “but for now, I should go take a shower and... maybe get some rest so I can figure out what happened.” She wasn’t really interested in resting, but she had to be alone to really research.

“All right. We’ll figure it out.” She gave her another quick hug. “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” she said, hugging her back and smiling slightly before heading to the bathroom. Some alone time sounded like a good enough start.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Oliver was playing catch-up at QI, though his mind wasn’t really focused on his work. Instead, his pretty blond sidekick was dominating his thoughts, which he supposed shouldn’t be surprising considering all the events from the previous day. He raked a hand through his hair, reading over the latest email once more before sending it off and pausing when he heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” he called. 

She hesitated before pushing the door open, her stomach tight as she stepped inside and saw him, “your assistant wasn’t there.” She said.

His eyes widened ever-so-slightly when he saw her, sitting up a little straighter in his chair. “Yeah, she’s at lunch already. Come in.” 

“Is this a bad time?” She asked, hesitating before closing the door.

“No, it’s fine,” he assured her. “I’m due for a break anyway.” 

Chloe nodded and approached the desk, taking the seat across from his, “I brought your car back.” She said, pulling the keys from her purse and setting them over the desk, “I think it’s in one piece.”

He smiled a bit at that, nodding. “Just...for future reference, you can borrow any of my cars you want, Chloe.” 

Her chest tightened and she nodded a little, looking down then glancing at him, “thank you.” She said quietly.

He was silent for a moment and then he rested his arms on his desk, gazing at her. “Are you all right?” 

She took a deep breath and straightened, then nodded a little, “I’m really sorry about everything I did and said to you.” She said sincerely, looking at him this time.

This time it was Oliver’s chest that tightened. “I owe you an apology, too,” he said very quietly. 

“No, you don’t.” She told him, shaking her head, “I really am grateful for you helping me on my birthday, and I guess somehow, being around you then made you my target for the following morning.” She was past embarrassment, she had bigger things to talk to him about, “I just don’t want you to think I meant all those horrible things I said to you, because I didn’t.”

He looked down at that, holding his breath for a moment. “The thing is, Chloe, I think maybe some part of you did,” he said very softly. “I mean, that’s how it works, right? The red kind strips away people’s inhibitions.” He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “But it’s all right, because a lot of what you said was true. And I know that.” He looked up at her once more. “Chloe, I’m really sorry that I put that whole...killing Lex thing on you. I’m sorry that you’re carrying that secret around because of me. I never wanted to make things harder for you, and...” He swallowed hard. “I never wanted to risk our friendship over it.” 

Her chest tightened even more and she looked down, swallowing hard, “it wasn’t an easy secret to keep,” she admitted, “but I understand why you did it, Oliver. And I don’t think it makes you less of a hero, I don’t.” She whispered, looking back at him.

“But I also know that I know enough that I could have completely ruined you yesterday. And Clark.” She whispered, “and I admire everything you do, all the trouble you go through for the team, and I don’t ever want that to be at risk. I don’t want _you_ to be at risk.”

Oliver held her gaze. “But you didn’t, Chloe,” he said gently. “You could have, but you didn’t. And it’s no different than what any of the rest of us could have done if we’d been the ones infected. Shit happens. Believe me, I get that better than most.” 

“It is different, Oliver.” She straightened, “because I know so much about each of you, enough to really do a lot of damage.” She said firmly, “and I don’t have anything to lose.” 

“That’s not true, either,” he told her, giving her a look. “You have a _lot_ to lose. That’s why Lex was scared of you. Because he knew he couldn’t make you cave. Because there was too much at risk.” 

“I almost killed Clark,” she said, reaching inside her purse again and picking up the small box he had given her on her birthday then setting it on his desk. “I could have sent you to jail for life. I could have single-handedly destroyed the team and gotten rid of two of the people the world needs the most.” 

She stood up, “which is why I wanted to come by to say goodbye to you.”

At that, Oliver felt his stomach tighten and he rose to his feet, as well. “What are you talking about?” His eyes widened ever-so-slightly. 

“Clark is picking me up,” she told him, swallowing hard but trying to keep her expression blank, “he is taking me to the fortress and he is having Jor-El erase my memories of him, of you and of the others.” 

Her stomach turned at the thought but she did her best to control herself, “I don’t know if I will remember you from before, when I knew you through Lois or not, but I knew I owed you to tell you what will happen.”

For a moment, all he could do was stare at her open-mouthed. “No,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her, his jaw clenching. “I’m not letting him do this to you again!” 

Chloe stilled at that, staring at him for a moment, her heart beating faster, “again?”

He held his breath for a moment. “Yeah, _again_. A few months ago, when he took you to his ice crystal palace thingie to get rid of the Brainiac infection, he had that guy erase all your memories of his secret.” His jaw tightened. “Apparently it doesn’t work very well, so maybe you should rethink your options.” 

She blinked a couple of times, “he did?” She asked, shaking her head, “and he never mentioned it, not even now when we were talking about this.”

“That’s because he’s a hypocritical, self-righteous jackass,” he responded, his heart beating hard against his chest. 

“What happened then?” She asked, staring up at Oliver then taking a step closer, “tell me exactly what happened.”

“I only know what he told me,” he informed her, forcing himself to take a deep breath. “He said he was doing it to protect you, so you could have a normal life. But that’s bullshit, and he had no fucking right.” 

She let out a breath and shook her head slightly, rubbing her hands over her face, “did you talk to me after he did it?”

“I didn’t really have a chance to,” he admitted. “And when I did, you remembered everything again already, so, I don’t know much beyond that.” 

Chloe nodded a little, taking a deep, shaky breath before focusing on him again, “thank you for telling me.”

“I should have told you sooner. But I didn’t think he’d try this shit again.” Oliver’s jaw tightened once more. 

“He suggested it,” she admitted, “I had no idea it wouldn’t be the first time...”

He shook his head. “I’m not letting him do this to you.” 

“What if it was my choice?” She said, although not nearly as confident as the first time.

Oliver gave her a look. “Tell me the reason that you want to forget all of us, forget all of this is for _you_. Because _you_ want a normal life.” His voice was intense. “Because you don’t want to know any of the stuff you know or be involved in any way.” 

She looked at him for a moment then looked down, shaking her head, “most of what I know about all of you, I don’t know it because you guys trusted me with that information. I know because _I_ found out, on my own. Not because you told me. Any of you.”

“Regardless, we’ve been better since you _did_ find out, Chloe.” He reached out and rested his hands on her shoulders. “How many times have you personally saved Clark’s ass?” he demanded. “Or helped save the world? Or helped one of us get out of a tricky spot in a mission? How you found out initially doesn’t matter because you have helped us and saved us more times than I can count.” 

“Maybe you feel that way,” she told him quietly, her eyes tearing up slightly. “Thinking about everything I wanted and could have used against all of you yesterday... doesn’t that scare you?”

“No,” he said, staring at her intently. “Because you didn’t do anything with that information even though you had the _perfect_ opportunity to do so. You could have sold all of us out and gotten a jumpstart back into journalism, but you didn’t. And you wouldn’t.” His voice was firm, no doubt in it at all. “And I can’t let you do this because you’re scared, Chloe. It’s not right.” 

Her face fell and she looked down, taking a deep breath and nodding slightly.

“Look at me,” he whispered.

She closed her eyes for a moment instead, her stomach in knots. Then sighed softly as she reluctantly lifted her head and opened her eyes again to look at him.

“I may not have told you who I was three years ago when we first met, but I’m damn glad you know,” he admitted very softly. “I wouldn’t ever change that if I had the chance.” 

Her face softened at that and she watched him for a moment, her chest tight as she searched his eyes, “even after yesterday?”

“Even after yesterday.” He held her gaze, not looking away.

Chloe nodded, her face crumbling slightly but she took a deep breath, “thank you,” she whispered.

His chest tightened at the sight of her tears and he shifted, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly. “It’s gonna be all right,” he whispered back. 

She closed her eyes once more and wrapped her arms around him just as tightly. In the back of her head, she couldn’t help but remember what they had done in his office the previous day, and how that had felt, but this wasn’t about that. It wasn’t anything like that.

He rubbed her back gently, closing his eyes as he rested his chin atop her head. “I am sorry that you carry so much burden from us,” he murmured. “But I’m selfish enough that I’m glad you changed your mind.” 

Her arms tightened around him slightly at that, “as long as you willingly trust me with your secrets, they are not burdens.” She whispered.

He tightened his arms around her a little more, too. “I think you’re an amazingly strong woman, Chloe,” he told her honestly. 

She turned her face against his chest unconsciously, “I don’t feel like it right now,” she whispered, “but thank you.”

Oliver gently wound his fingers in her hair, then pressed a kiss to her temple without really thinking about it. “Welcome.”

Despite herself, she felt like she was relaxing a little. Maybe because out of all of them, Oliver had been the one she had targeted the most. And she still didn’t really understand why.

“I’ll help you talk to Clark,” he murmured.

“You don’t have to do that,” She whispered, reluctantly pulling back to look up at him.

“I want to,” he said honestly, searching her eyes. 

“I don’t want to make things worse between the two of you,” she admitted, holding her breath. 

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “It’s probably about time that Clark and I had a long chat anyway, Chloe.” 

“I know,” she agreed, “but not about me.”

“Clark and I are never going to be good friends,” he told her quietly. 

“I know,” she said again then sighed, dropping her hands to her sides, “you will never see things the same way and you will never really understand each other, but I don’t want to be the reason for you two to have an even bigger fall out.”

“I’d say you’re a pretty damn good reason for it,” he responded, arching his eyebrows.

“I think I have caused enough damage already,” she pointed out, arching her eyebrow back at him. 

A very faint smile touched his mouth. “Can you imagine what might have happened if _I’d_ been the one who’d gotten infected?” He gave her a look. 

“I don’t know,” she said, “but something tells me you shouldn’t go after him like that.”

He sighed softly. “I’d like to be there at least. I’ll do my best to stay quiet?” 

She considered him for a moment then took a deep breath before nodding, “okay.”

Oliver nodded, too, leaning back against his desk and looking down for a moment. “We should probably talk about the other thing.” He held his breath.

Her stomach clenched at that and she looked down then took a deep breath too, “we don’t have to.” She tried. 

“No?” He chewed the inside of his cheek. 

She shifted, straightening, “I don’t want to complicate things even more, Oliver.” She said, swallowing hard as she lifted her head to look at him.

“I don’t either,” he said quietly, gazing back at her. 

Chloe chewed on her bottom lip and looked at him for a moment, nodding, “we should probably forget it happened.”

He held his breath and then looked down, swallowing hard. She was probably right. But it was going to be a lot easier said than done. 

“I’m really sorry, Oliver.” She added, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he said sincerely. 

“I do, Ollie,” she said, “especially for coming in here like that and...” she trailed off, shaking her head.

“Trust me when I say I’m not upset,” he told her, raising his eyebrows. 

At the look on his face, she paused and held her breath, “you’re not?”

“No,” he said softly, shaking his head. 

“Because you know I just wasn’t myself.” She assumed. It was the only explanation.

“That too.” He cocked his head to the side.

“Right,” She said, arching her eyebrows curiously.

He couldn’t help but smile at the look on her face. “Chloe, I’m a guy. And when a beautiful woman wants to make out with me...” He shrugged a little. “Frankly it was the best part of my day.” 

Her stomach clenched a little at that but she nodded a little and took a deep breath, “right,” she said again, “I’ll take that as a compliment, I think.”

“Trust me, it was meant as one.” 

“Thank you,” she said, holding her breath then shaking her head, “I should... go let Lois know that I might need a ride back.”

“Is she in Metropolis this morning?” he asked curiously. 

Chloe nodded slightly, “she came in to hand in her article and talk to her editor.”

“Okay.” He gazed at her, then offered her a small smile. 

“It won’t be long before Clark calls me.” She said, shrugging a little, “I might end up telling him then?”

Oliver paused. “What do you mean?” 

“I told you,” she said, “I was gonna have him pick me up here and take me to the fortress.”

“Oh, I thought you meant you were going to tell him on the phone.” 

“It won’t matter if I do,” she shrugged, reaching to pick up her purse again, “he will show up wherever I am after I tell him.”

“Why don’t you stay here?” he suggested quietly, raising his eyebrows. “My office is plenty big enough, and I’m just returning emails.” 

Her eyes narrowed slightly at that, “you really can’t wait to talk to him about this, can you?”

“Look, Chloe. It’s not that I’m looking forward to this confrontation.” He gazed at her. “It’s that I don’t _trust_ Clark.” 

She held her breath at that and nodded slightly, “I know.” She pursed her lips, “and I’m starting to wonder if I should trust him as much as I do.”

“If you have to wonder, you probably already have your answer,” he told her quietly. 

Chloe sighed softly at that and walked over to the couch before sitting down, “it’s not that easy.”

“Can you explain it to me?” he asked, watching her. It wasn’t a sarcastic or demanding question, simply calm and curious. 

She looked up at him for a moment and shrugged, “it’s instinct,” she said, “to trust him, to do everything I can to protect him and help him. He was my best friend for years and I’ve always cared a lot about him. That didn’t really start to change until recently.”

Oliver tried to ignore the stab of sudden envy he felt toward Clark Kent as she spoke. “You guys haven’t been as close recently.” It wasn’t a question. 

She shook her head slightly, “but I can’t just... drop him. He’s been such a huge part of my life for, well, most of my life by now.”

“No one’s asking you to drop him,” Oliver said quietly. “Just...be a little more cautious. Because while I think he may have duped himself into believing the things he does are always for people’s own good, he needs to realize that having powers and abilities the rest of us don’t, doesn’t make it okay for him to make choices that affect who we are. And that’s what he’s done.” 

“I know,” she agreed, “and yesterday, despite everything, it did bring some clarity on things I clearly need to work on. That being one of them.”

He nodded a little. “I just want you to be safe. And _you_.” 

Her face softened a little at that and she nodded, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said softly.


	6. Chapter 6

It didn’t take a lot of convincing from Oliver to get Chloe to stay there, mostly because she didn’t want to be around her cousin when she got the call from Clark, but also, because she didn’t want them to talk to each other alone. At least if she was there, she could intervene if necessary. 

She was checking her email on her phone when it rang. Stilling, she looked over at Oliver who was back behind his desk, working, then stood up. “It’s him.” She warned. 

He looked up when she spoke, pursing his lips and nodding a little as he sat forward in his chair. “All right.” 

Chloe took a deep breath then answered the phone, pulling it up to her ear, “hi, Clark.”

“Hey. Are you ready?” he asked. 

She pursed her lips then shook her head a little, “no.” She told him, “I’ve changed my mind.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “What?” 

“I’m not going, Clark.” She said, her voice firm, “I can’t do this.”

“Chloe, we talked about this. This is the best thing for you. For all of us.” 

“No, it isn’t,” she said, “it’s a big part of who I am, and yours isn’t the only secret I would be forgetting, Clark. I don’t want to do this.” She said, glancing at Oliver.

“Where are you?” 

“At Queen Industries.” She told him, rolling her eyes. 

Oliver rolled his eyes, as well. 

A second later, Clark sped in, phone still in his hand as he looked back and forth between them. “I should have known.” 

“Should have known what?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.

“That _Oliver_ talked you out of this.” 

“Oliver didn’t talk me out of anything,” she told him, hanging up the phone and dropping it in her purse, “but he did open my eyes to some things I didn’t know before.”

Clark’s eyes narrowed at that. “Meaning what, exactly?” 

“Meaning that you never told me you’ve done this before.” She said. “That you have already asked Jor-El to erase my memory.”

Clark shot Oliver a look, then turned his attention back to Chloe. “It was the best decision I could make at the time,” he told her, his voice growing more quiet. “Your life has been too complicated because of me, because of knowing who I really am.” 

“Yes, it has,” she agreed, “but that didn’t give you the right to make that decision for me. And it most definitely didn’t give you the right to suggest doing it again without _telling_ me about it again.”

“We did talk about this, Chloe,” he reminded her, shaking his head. “You _agreed_ with me. That the safest thing for all of us is for you to forget about it.”

“But you didn’t tell me you had already done this to me, Clark!” She pressed, “and I know this isn’t just about how you think your secret has affected my life, I know this is also about how you don’t really trust me with it.”

“That wasn’t true until yesterday,” he told her, folding his arms across his chest. 

“But it is now.” She said. It wasn’t a question.

“Chloe, you almost killed me,” he told her in exasperation. 

“You realize that could have been any one of us who know your secret, right, Clark?” Oliver cut in, rising to his feet. “We _all_ have the ability to hurt one another more than anyone else could possibly hurt us. But the answer isn’t screwing with someone’s memories.” 

“And yes, I’m aware I could have killed you.” She said, “and you could have killed me too, every time you were infected with red kryptonite too, Clark.”

“And frankly that’s a lot more likely of a scenario,” Oliver agreed, raising his eyebrows.

“On top of that,” she went on, “it wouldn’t be just erasing my memory of you,” she said what she had been thinking about while she waited for him to call, “such a huge part of my life is connected to everything you are, I wouldn’t be myself anymore.”

Clark stared at her for a long moment before looking away and falling silent. 

Oliver watched him intently, then shifted his gaze to Chloe, holding his breath. 

She looked over at Oliver for a moment then took a deep breath and stepped closer to Clark, “I know you never really trusted me, not with your secret,” she said, “but you have to at least know by now that I would _never_ do anything to willingly hurt you.”

He drew in a breath, too and let it out slowly, looking back at her. “I do know that,” he admitted, still not looking very happy. 

“Good,” Oliver said firmly, nodding a little. 

“Then what are you so afraid of?” She asked.

“Something like yesterday happening again. Or happening in front of someone else,” he told her, sighing. “Like _Lois_.” 

“And it could happen,” she told him, “but I wouldn’t be in anymore control than you would be if the situations were reverse.”

Oliver had to refrain from pointing out that Clark wasn’t really any _better_ than the rest of them, even if he did have special abilities. 

“And if for some reason it did happen in front of Lois,” Chloe went on, “she would be fine with finding out the truth, even if I don’t think you should tell her for her safety, she is very accepting of Oliver.”

“It’s not the same thing,” Clark protested, shaking his head. 

“Not exactly the same thing, no,” she agreed, “but she knows about what he does and what you do isn’t that different. But this is a what if situation anyway.”

Oliver pursed his lips, looking toward the window and then back at Clark and Chloe.

She had more to say to him, but she would leave that for when they were alone, “so you don’t need to worry about talking to Jor-El.”

“Fine,” he said, his voice neutral. “Do you want a ride back to Smallville?” 

She glanced over at Oliver then took a deep breath, she should say yes, because it would be easier, but she felt like she should put some distance between herself and Clark, “no. Thank you. I called Lois and told her I would drive back with her.” She lied.

“All right. See you later then.” Without waiting for a response, Clark vanished.

Chloe took a deep breath and turned to look at Oliver again once Clark was out of sight, “thank you.”

“I didn’t really do anything,” he said quietly.

“You had my back.” She told him.

Oliver met her eyes and smiled very faintly. “Part of being a team.” 

Her chest tightened slightly at that but she nodded, “I should call Lois,” she said, picking up her phone once more.

“All right.” He nodded a little and reluctantly moved so he was sitting behind his desk once more. He looked down at the small box beside his keyboard and then opened the top drawer and slid it inside. 

“What do you mean you were sleeping?” Chloe frowned, pulling the phone from her ear to look at the time then back. “Lois, it’s a 3 hour flight from Mexico, you can’t be jet lagged.”

He paused at that, raising his eyebrows a little in amusement as he listened to Chloe’s end of the conversation. 

“No, I’m okay.” She said, “I just came to return Oliver’s car and I figured you’d still be in Metropolis. I should have called you sooner.”

Oliver reached out and used his mouse to shut down his computer, waiting patiently for her to finish her phone call.

“I’ll figure it out,” she told her, “don’t worry about it. Yeah, good idea,” she smirked with a roll of her eyes, “see you later, Lo.” She said before hanging up, holding her breath before turning to face him again.

“Let me guess. Lois went home early because she was jetlagged?” 

“What are you, a mind reader?” She asked, smiling a little.

“Well, I did overhear you protesting jetlag as an excuse.” He grinned. 

“I figured.” She said, shaking her head, “and her brilliant suggestion was that I should ask for one of your cars this time.”

He chuckled softly. “If you really want to head back to Smallville now, you’re welcome to do just that.” 

“Thanks,” she said, shaking her head, “I should actually head to Isis and try to figure out exactly where that redk came from.”

“Yeah? Do you want some help?” 

“Oh,” she shrugged a little, “I’m sure you have more important things to do,” she said, waving at his laptop.

“Not really.” He raised his eyebrows a little.

“You don’t?” She asked, surprised.

Oliver shook his head. “I’d rather be working on this,” he admitted.

Chloe shifted, uncertain then shrugged slightly, “if you’re sure.”

He paused at the flicker of wariness that passed over her features. “If you don’t need help, Chloe, it’s okay.” 

“I don’t mind,” she said sincerely, “I just figured you had better things to do.”

He shook his head again. “What do you say we grab some lunch and get to work?” 

Her heart skipped a beat and she nodded slightly, “sounds like a plan.”

“Great.” He smiled. “What sounds good?” 

“Coffee?” She said, arching her eyebrows, “there is a cafe near Isis that serves breakfast all day but also had lunch items.”

Oliver smirked. “Shoulda guessed that, shouldn’t I?” 

“Sorry,” she said, smiling a little, “I didn’t really have a lot of it this morning,” she didn’t want to risk spilling in his car.

He shrugged and headed for the door, pulling it open for her. “Ladies first.” 

“I’m open for suggestions,” she said even as she pulled her purse over her shoulder and stepped out of the room.

“Cafe’s fine,” he assured her, following. “You wanna drive?” 

“No,” she said quickly then shook her head, “no, you should drive.”

Oliver glanced at her sideways. “Chloe. Everything’s fine,” he said softly. 

“I know, but it’s a miracle there isn’t a scratch on your car, at least one that I noticed. I rather not risk it,” She admitted.

“Even if there was, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.” He winked at her as he walked beside her down the hallway and to the elevators. 

“Appreciate it,” she said, smiling softly, “but I really will be more comfortable with you driving right now.”

Oliver nodded. “All right.” He reached out and pressed the down arrow.

She leaned against the side of the elevator and glanced at him, then at the numbers.

As the elevator began to descend, Oliver glanced at her sideways, then up at the numbers as well, blinking when the elevator suddenly lurched to a stop and the lights went out. 

She pushed herself off the wall and blinked, her eyes wide, “what was that?”

“I think that’s a power outage,” he said with a soft sigh.

“Are you kidding me?” She asked, pulling her phone out of her purse and using it as a lantern.

“If only.” He rubbed a hand over his face, and pushed the emergency button to alert the operator that the elevator had stopped between floors.

She stepped closer, lifting the phone toward the elevator panel for him.

“Thanks,” he said, smiling faintly as he pressed the phone to his ear. After a moment of no one answering, he sighed. “Great. Apparently she’s on break.” 

“It is around lunch time.” Chloe sighed softly, looking up at him, “if only you had your bow.”

“Sorry,” he said sincerely. “Hopefully the power will come back on soon.” 

“Hopefully,” she agreed, dropping her purse to the floor then pausing, “wasn’t it supposed to start snowing today? Or raining?”

“Snowing, I think,” he confirmed, nodding a little. “It was when I looked out the window. I just wasn’t really thinking about it.” 

“I wasn’t really paying attention either, must have started when we were up there,” she said, hesitating then moving to sit on the ground.

Oliver drew in a breath and then moved to sit down beside her. “Sorry,” he said again.

“Why are you apologizing?” She asked, turning to look at him.

“Because the elevator in my building is stuck and so are you?” He raised his eyebrows a little. 

“And it’s hardly your fault, besides, you are stuck too.” she pointed out, stretching her legs in front of herself.

Somehow he had a feeling he was a lot less upset by that fact than she probably was. “What do you mean? I’m responsible for this snow storm, you know.” 

“Really?” She asked, cocking her head and smiling softly, “I guess I don’t know as many secrets as I thought I did.”

Oliver smiled back involuntarily. “It’s _my_ super power,” he joked.

“Now I really wish I had known you back in High School,” she smiled, “you would have helped with snow days.”

He grinned, shaking his head. “If only.” 

“You’re cooler without superpowers anyway.” She told him.

He blinked at that, cocking his head. “You think I’m cool?” 

Chloe paused and even in the darkness, turned to look at him, “you don’t think you are?”

Oliver shifted a little. “I don’t know. I just didn’t really consider that _you_ might think I am.” 

She smiled at that, it was... sweet, in an odd way. “Of course I do.” She shrugged, “you do everything the others do and you are just human, that makes you pretty awesome.”

He ducked his head, a smile on his mouth. “I think you’re pretty awesome, too,” he admitted.

Chloe blinked and glanced at him once more, holding her breath, “guess I shouldn’t argue.”

“Because I’d argue my point?” 

“Because you would embarrass me.” She said.

“I would?” His eyebrows furrowed a little. 

“Yep.” She nodded, but didn’t explain.

“How would I embarrass you?” he asked curiously.

“By telling me why you think that?” She said, glad that it was dark in the elevator for now.

“I think you’re too modest,” he informed her.

“Maybe I’m realistic.” She tried, shifting slightly on the floor toward him.

He shifted a little toward her, as well. “You don’t think you’re awesome?” 

“Do you think you are awesome?” She asked instead, arching her eyebrows curiously.

He couldn’t help but grin at her avoidance. “Do you always answer a question with a question?” 

“I was a reporter,” she said, smiling softly.

“Point,” he agreed, nodding a little. He was quiet for a moment, thinking. “I’ll answer if you will?” 

“I guess that’s fair,” she said, holding her breath, “you first.”

Oliver nodded slightly, leaning his head back against the elevator. “These days, not so much,” he admitted, his voice quiet. 

“Why?” She asked, her voice quieter, “because of Lex?”

He nodded slightly. “Yeah.” He exhaled slowly. 

She took a deep breath and nodded a little, “I’m sure that must be hard on you, living with that. And while I may not agreed with how, I’m... glad it’s done.”

He was silent for a moment. “I don’t agree with how, either,” he admitted in a whisper, swallowing hard. 

Her chest tightened at that but she nodded, “that’s good.”

He almost smiled. Almost. “I suppose.” 

“It is,” she told him, reaching out and squeezing his arm once she found it, “and it makes you an even bigger man to be able to admit that.”

Oliver held his breath for a moment, then looked down at her hand in the darkness. “Your turn,” he said softly.

“I guess it’s not that hard to figure it out,” she said quietly, “I don’t, either.” She told him, letting go of his arm.

“But you are,” he whispered. “And I wish you could see it.” 

Her chest tightened at that and she shrugged a little, “maybe I will, someday.” She whispered back, “and maybe you will too.”

This time he reached out, and he found her hand, linking his fingers through his. “Seriously, though. How many women would be able to handle the things that you know? The things that you _do_?” He shook his head.

Holding her breath, she looked down at their hands and shrugged, “at what price?” She said, “maybe I’m just not handling it at all and that’s why everything else is falling apart.”

“That’s crap,” he told her, raising his eyebrows. “Things are falling apart because that’s what life does.” 

She arched her eyebrows, surprised at his words, “how do you figure?”

“You can’t seriously think all the bad stuff that’s going on is your fault. Bad stuff happens all the time. I’m not sure it’s anyone’s fault, really.” 

“Not all of it, no.” She agreed, “but we are accountable for our own choices. That’s more what I was referring to.” She explained.

He considered that for a moment. “But it’s sort of because all of our choices effect everyone around us,” he pointed out. 

“You’re not letting me get away with this, are you?” She asked after a moment.

Oliver smiled a little at that. “Nope.”

“See?” She said quietly, unconsciously squeezing his hand, “you are pretty amazing.”

He glanced down at their hands in the darkness again, and squeezed hers in return.

She held her breath and smiled a little then relaxed against the elevator, “and like I said, you might believe me someday.”

“And maybe someday you’ll believe me, too.” 

Chloe remained quiet at that and nodded even though it was dark, then squeezed his hand slightly.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, leaning more against the back of the elevator and stretching a little. “Ever been trapped in an elevator before?” he asked curiously.

“Yep,” she nodded, “a couple of times, once with a bomb.” She told him, arching her eyebrow. “You?”

His eyebrows shot up and he turned his head to look at her best he could in the darkness. “With a bomb?” 

“Yeah, it ended up okay, but it was about a year ago at the Planet.” She told him. 

He rubbed his free hand over his face, shaking his head a little. “Our lives are crazy.” 

“You can say that again.” She told him, taking a deep breath, “have you ever been trapped in an elevator before?” 

“No, can’t say that I have.” 

“I’d say lucky you, but we’re here now.” She said quietly. 

“Could be worse,” he said just as quietly.

“True,” she agreed, “there could be a bomb.”

“Or I could be stuck in here with Clark.” He paused. “Or Tess.” 

Chloe made a face and nodded a little, “could be a lot worse than a bomb.” She agreed.

“All in all, I’d say I’m lucky.” 

“I don’t know if you should go that far, you’re still trapped here.” She pointed out, “and if the storm is bad enough, this could be a while.”

“Still. I’m with you and not someone else, and I’m not by myself.” 

“Yeah,” she agreed quietly with that, “that does help.”

Oliver smiled faintly, nudging her gently with his elbow.

She paused and nudged him back, “at least we have plenty of room.” She said quietly. 

“Not a fan of small spaces?” he asked curiously.

“Not particularly, but this is okay,” she told him, “you?”

“I’m all right with most spaces. At least I think I am.” He shrugged.

“Well, you’d kinda have to be with what you do,” she said, shifting slightly and only then noticing that her hand was still in his and that that was actually comfortable. 

He seemed to notice it at the same time, but his hand tightened around hers just a little and then he reluctantly let go, figuring he was making her uncomfortable. 

Chloe held her breath and glanced at him, then pulled her hand to her lap and let out her breath slowly. Apparently not as comfortable as she thought. 

Oliver rose to his feet slowly, moving to the doors and studying him as best he could. “Maybe I can pry them open.” 

“You think so?” Chloe frowned, standing up too. 

“I don’t know. Maybe?” He chewed the inside of his cheek as he tried to wiggle his fingers in between the door cracks.

She reached down and pulled her phone out, to light up the doors, “is it giving at all?”

He gritted his teeth together, suddenly feeling more than a little adequate when he admitted, “No.”   
She sighed softly and nodded, “thanks for trying.”

Oliver grimaced, not happy to be admitting to defeat against an _elevator._

“Are you okay?” She asked, arching her eyebrows when she saw him just before the light on her phone went off. 

“I don’t like being useless,” he admitted with a sigh. 

She couldn’t help but smile softly at that, “you’re not useless, Ollie. You just don’t have the appropriate tools right here.”

“Guess you’re stuck with me for awhile longer.” He raised his eyebrows a little. 

“I’m okay with that.” She said sincerely, sitting back down. “Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, kind of,” he admitted, looking toward the sound of her voice. “You?” 

“Yeah,” she agreed, taking a deep breath, “let me see if I have anything.”

Oliver raised his eyebrows a little and then rubbed his hands over his face before moving to sit down beside her again. 

She reached in her purse, searching for a moment then pulling out a small bag, “goldfish?”

He chuckled softly, reaching out and taking the bag from her. “Share?” 

“Well, yeah,” she said, “you better.”

“Or what?” he couldn’t help but tease. 

“I’ll have to use force.” She smirked, reaching inside the bag.

“Sounds promising.” He smirked back, holding it closer to her so she could reach it easier. 

Chloe blinked at that and arched her eyebrows, “right.”

“Sorry,” he said, cringing a little at the uncertainty in her voice.

“Why?” She asked, trying to shrug it off, “for eating all the fish?”

“For making you uncomfortable.” 

Chloe sighed softly and shook her head, “you need to stop saying that, I’m not uncomfortable.”

He pursed his lips, glancing at her sideways silently. 

“What?” She asked when he didn’t say anything.

“Nothing.” He popped one of the cheesy fish into his mouth and shook the bag a little. 

“I guess I’m the one making you uncomfortable,” she told him quietly. 

“Why would I be uncomfortable?” His eyebrows furrowed a little. 

“I don’t know,” she said, “you keep getting quiet and... all things considered.”

“It’s just...I guess I’m realizing there’s a lot about you that I don’t really know,” He confessed. 

“Like what?” She frowned slightly, pulling a handful of crackers from the bag.

“Like any of the big stuff. I have no idea what kind of movies you like, or what your favorite bands or books are. I know you love coffee, but other than that, I don’t know what kinds of things you eat, or what you do to have fun.” He raised his eyebrows a little. 

“Oh,” she blinked and shrugged a little, “I don’t really watch much TV,” she said,”Lois is usually playing on her X-Box whenever she’s home, killing things.”

“Yeah, I know that about Lois.” He shifted so he was facing her more. “But what about you?” 

“What about me?” She asked, holding her breath when she felt him shift. 

A smile quirked the corners of his mouth. “What do _you_ like?” 

“Sitting outside a coffee shop and reading the news while I get my caffeine on?” She tried. 

He raised his eyebrows a little. “Really? That’s all you’re gonna give me to work with?” 

“I don’t really do a lot more,” she smiled softly, “I didn’t think you’d let me get away with ‘research’.”

“Do you really enjoy doing research?” he asked curiously. 

“Yeah,” she said sincerely, “especially when it actually works.”

He smiled a little, nodding in the darkness. “Okay, then I guess I can’t harass you for working too much, can I?” 

“Well, you wouldn’t be able to either way, would you?” She smiled, “considering your schedule.”

He smirked. “Point. At least not without being a big hypocrite.” He shivered a little as cold air started to permeate the elevator. 

She felt him shiver, since they were sitting close, “you okay?”

“Yeah, but it’s getting a little chilly in here.” 

“It’s not that bad,” She smiled, “do you want my jacket?”

Oliver snorted at that, glancing at her sideways. “Cute.” 

“I’m serious,” she said, shrugging off her jacket and handing it to him, “you’re from California.”

He rolled his eyes, but took the jacket from her anyway. “You make it sound like a disability.” 

“It is, for cold weather,” she teased, amused he had actually taken her jacket.

He frowned even as he covered up with the coat, glancing at her sideways. “You’re mocking,” he accused. 

“I would never do that to you, Ollie.” She teased, “better?”

He nudged her with his elbow again. “I like that,” he told her.

“You like what?” She grinned, nudging him back.

“You calling me Ollie.” 

“Oh,” she paused, arching her eyebrows, “I didn’t realize I was doing it.”

He smiled a little at that. “There’s not really a way to shorten your name.” 

“Not really,” she agreed, unconsciously shifting a little closer, “Lois calls me Chlo sometimes, but is it really a nickname if it’s just one letter missing?”

“It’s sort of why I call you Sidekick,” he admitted. “Even though I hope you know you’re a lot more than just a sidekick.” 

Her face softened at that and she smiled, nodding “that makes sense.”

Oliver smiled, too, then hesitated a minute before draping his arm around her shoulders and giving her a gentle, affectionate squeeze. 

Chloe paused and looked over at him, holding her breath as she did her best to rationalized the fact that he was just cold, “still cold?” She asked.

“The jacket helped,” he admitted.

“Good,” she said, still holding her breath and nodding slightly.

“Is this okay?” he asked after a second, tightening his arm around her a little. 

She paused and hesitated before shifting closer, “yeah,” she told him, “it’s getting chilly.”

“Yeah.” He pulled her a little closer, winding his other arm around her, too. 

Chloe paused, surprised then held her breath and wrapped an arm around him awkwardly, her chest tight.

“Still okay?” he asked softly, resting his head against hers. 

“As long as you’re warmer,” she whispered, her heart beating faster.

“You said you were getting chilly, too.” 

“Yeah,” she bit down on her bottom lip, she could feel his breath on her cheek, “but you’re still the Californian.”

He smiled a bit. “Yeah, well.” 

She shifted slightly closer, unable not to think of what it had felt like to kiss him.

Oliver held his breath, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he shifted a little, too, so he was gazing down at her in the darkness.

Chloe stilled and lifted her head, holding her breath too, “Ollie?” She whispered.

“Yeah?” he murmured, lifting one hand to her cheek, cupping it gently. 

“What are you doing?” She asked very quietly.

“Testing a theory,” he whispered, dipping his head and brushing his nose lightly against hers. 

“What theory?” She breathed but didn’t pull away, her stomach tight.

Oliver’s lips brushed lightly over hers and suddenly the elevator lurched into motion, the lights flickering back on. 

She gasped when the elevator began to move and pulled away, blinking at the suddenly bright lights.

He sighed softly, looking down and then up at the lights. It figured.

She stared at him then pulled away gently, her heart still beating fast, “at least you will be warmer soon,” she said awkwardly as she stood up, tossing her phone and the leftover goldfish into her purse.

“Thanks for the jacket,” he said softly, rising to his feet, as well, and holding it out to her. 

“No problem,” she said just as quietly as she took it from him.

Their fingers brushed together lightly and he met her eyes, not looking away. His chest tightened as the elevator doors slid open. 

She held his gaze for a moment, her heart skipping a beat as she held her breath, when she heard noise from outside, she let out her breath and turned around, making her way out of the elevator.

Oliver shut his eyes for a second, then forced himself to take a deep breath. 

Then he followed her silently.


	7. Chapter 7

Oliver sat across the small table from Chloe as they researched in her office at Isis. They’d been there for nearly two hours, but he couldn’t remember a single word he’d read. He kept sneaking glances at Chloe, his chest tightening a little every time he realized she wasn’t looking at him _at all_. 

And she was having a hard time focusing when she was stopping herself from doing just that every few seconds. Lunch had been quiet and awkward, no different than now, but at least there was more space between them at Isis, and more things to look at. Things she _should_ be looking at. Like where all of the red kryptonite deposits were and things around them.

After a few moments, Oliver finally sat back in the chair, pursing his lips and gazing at her.

She could feel his eyes on her but she focused on the satellite images on the screens instead, searching for whatever she could find, she had no real idea of what she was looking for at the moment. 

“Chloe.” His voice was quiet. “Maybe we should talk about what happened.” 

Chloe held her breath when he spoke then let it out slowly, he kept suggesting that to her and the last thing she wanted to do was talk. She hesitated then turned toward him.

He raised his eyebrows a little. “I know you weren’t exactly yourself yesterday. But you kinda were, right?” His voice was soft. 

“I was,” she told him, pursing her lips together, “but that doesn’t mean this is a good idea.”

“Do you like me?” he asked quietly.

She stilled at the way too direct question, “Oliver...”

“Or is it just an attraction thing?” He sat forward a little, watching her closely.

Chloe blinked a couple of times and looked away, “does it really matter?” She asked, taking a deep breath.

“Yeah, kinda,” he said, chewing the inside of his cheek. 

“Why?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.

He paused. “Because I need to know?” 

“Why do you need to know? Nothing is going to change.” She said, her stomach tight.

Oliver blinked at that, raising his eyebrows. “Why do you say that? Because it didn’t change when you liked Clark?” 

She blinked a couple of times too, staring up at him, “because we work together.”

“Yeah, but you worked with him, too. If he’d been interested, would it have stopped you?” 

“This isn’t about Clark, Oliver.” She said, her voice sharper than she meant for it to sound.

He winced a little. “No, I know, I just...” 

She took a deep breath and shook her head, “I didn’t even realize there was anything until yesterday.” She admitted.

“Me either,” he said softly, looking up at her.

At that, she paused and swallowed hard, she wanted to ask what exactly he meant, but stopped herself, “this isn’t a good idea.”

“It’s complicated,” he corrected her.

“That too.” She agreed, leaning back against her desk.

“Good things are rarely easy.” 

“Oliver,” she said, taking a deep breath, “apparently I’m attracted to you, I’m sure that happens to you all the time,” she told him, pushing herself from the desk, “I had no idea there was even anything there and just because I came into your office and literally jumped you, you started thinking about this, that does not mean anything else should come out of this. It doesn’t mean it’s a good thing, it’s not even a _thing_ , or it wasn’t until yesterday and things like this don’t just change from one day to the next. They don’t.”

Oliver rose to his feet, as well, watching her intently as she spoke. Without a second thought, he moved forward, wrapping his arms around her and dipping his head, kissing her.

Chloe gasped quietly and kissed him back for a moment, her heart pounding as she forced herself to pull away, her eyes wide and she was suddenly both breathless and speechless. 

He searched her eyes, his own heart beating hard in his chest. “Sometimes they do,” he whispered. 

She took a deep breath and swallowed hard, shaking her head slightly, “how can you be so sure?”

“Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he admitted quietly, reaching up to cup her cheek. 

“It hasn’t been two whole days,” she whispered, leaning into his touch despite herself. 

“I know that, too,” he murmured, brushing his nose against hers.

She held her breath and looked at him for a moment, her chest tight as she hesitantly leaned in and brushed her lips against his again, unable to stop herself. 

He dipped his head, meeting her halfway without hesitation, his other arm moving to encircle her waist once more, pulling her closer as they kissed again.

She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck as the kiss deepened, her heart beating faster as she pressed closer to him. 

Oliver slid his fingers into her hair, gently massaging the back of her head as he shifted, moving backward and leaning against the desk, bringing her with him as he moved. 

Chloe was glad that he had leaned back and wasn’t as tall anymore, she pressed closer to him, still on her tiptoes as she leaned against him for support. 

He shifted so he was sitting on the desk, tugging her even closer as he explored her mouth slowly, hand trailing down to rest at the small of her back. 

She shivered at his light touch, relaxing slightly as she moved her hands down to his shoulders, squeezing them lightly. 

Oliver smiled against her lips when he felt her shiver, and he slowly broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers for a second. “Wow,” he murmured.

With a deep breath, she pulled back and looked up at him, her face felt warm, make that her whole body felt warm. “Yeah,” she breathed. 

He kissed the corner of her mouth softly, then her jaw, taking a deep breath, as well. He smiled softly at her. 

She blinked a couple of times and took another deep breath, looking at him and smiling slightly.

He licked his lips, raising his eyebrows a little at her and brushing his thumb back and forth over her cheek. 

“I still think this is a bad idea,” she whispered, looking down at his mouth then back at him. 

“It might be.” He kissed her mouth again. 

She sighed softly, kissing him back a little firmer before pulling back and looking at him again.

“It might turn out to be a great idea,” he murmured, resting his hands on her hips. 

“Maybe,” she breathed, searching his eyes.

“Won’t know unless we try?” He kissed her jaw once more. 

“What if we mess everything up?” She asked, closing her eyes and shivering slightly.

He considered the for a moment, pressing a kiss to her throat. “What if we don’t?” 

“I guess we will see,” she whispered, shivering again and sliding her hands up the sleeves of his shirt. 

Oliver nodded slightly, shuddering a little at the feel of her hands against his skin. “Good.” He kissed her throat once more.

She squeezed his arms, feeling his warm lips on her throat was definitely having way more effect on her than it should. 

“Researching now is going to be hard.” In more ways than one, he thought. 

“Yeah,” she smirked, taking a deep breath then looking up at him, her eyes darker, “I guess we will need a break.”

He raised his eyebrows, his eyes darker than usual, too. “Breaks are good.” 

“Considering neither of us was able to focus all afternoon, I’d say they are necessary.” She hold him, holding her breath. 

“Agreed,” he murmured, kissing the corner of her mouth. 

She held her breath and turned her head, kissing him full on the lips once more as she wrapped her arms around him.

Oliver brushed his nose against hers once more before kissing her back, then rising to his feet once more, picking her up in his arms. 

Chloe gasped quietly when he picked her up and broke the kiss, pulling back to look up at him and holding her breath. 

He offered her a grin before carrying her over to the sofa across the room. 

She paused and smirked a little, “do you have a thing about couches?” She asked even as her face felt warm. 

He chuckled involuntarily at her question. “Well, I don’t see any beds around,” he teased. 

“Good to know that’s the preferred option.” She teased back, still blushing. 

“Although other places are fun, too.” He sat down on the couch, pulling her onto his lap. “You know, if you’re interested in exploring.” 

“I did tell you I do research for fun, right?” she said, adjusting on his lap and placing her hands over his shoulders.

“Very good point,” he agreed, sliding one hand up to cup the back of her neck and gently pulling her closer to kiss her again. 

Chloe smiled and shifted closer to him on his lap, kissing him back as she wrapped her arms under his and pulled him a little closer.

He slid his hand farther up her neck and into her hair as he slowly deepened the kiss. 

She brushed her fingers over his arms, making a quiet noise as the kiss deepened. Her mind might have been foggy last time they kissed but she had been right, he really was amazing at this.

He couldn’t help but smile at the soft noises she made. He shifted, cupping her cheek in one hand and slowly moving the other to rest at the small of her back, his fingers brushing just beneath her shirt. 

Chloe shivered at the touch as she unwrapped one of her arms from around his and brushed her fingers over his arm.

Oliver nipped lightly at her lower lip, then soothed it with his tongue. Slowly he trailed the hand at her back up beneath the back of her shirt.

She shivered again, moving her other hand to the back of his neck and pulling her mouth from his as she kissed his jaw, then pressed her lips against his neck.

He groaned softly, tilting her head back to give her better access, licking his lips. “You’re good at that.” 

She smiled at that, surprised and shrugged a little, “good to know,” she said against his skin before nibbling on it.

His hand tightened in her hair just a little and he gently tugged her head back, shifting and returning the favor, tongue darting out to taste her skin as he trailed his mouth down her neck to her collarbone. 

She held her breath, sucking lightly on this skin and sliding her hand down his side, hesitating before pulling his shirt up.

“It’s fine,” he told her, feeling her hesitation and pulling away to smile at her. 

“Good,” she told him, smirking shyly and pulling his shirt up higher.

He grinned at the expression on her face. She was kind of adorable. He leaned in again and kissed her jaw.

She smiled softly then turned her head, kissing the corner of his mouth.

Oliver slid her shirt up a little, raising his eyebrows at her. 

Chloe paused and held her breath, nodding slightly.

“You sure?” he murmured, kissing her jaw again softly and sliding his hands along her skin.

“Yeah,” she breathed, lowering her hand over his chest then stilling.

He gazed at her for a moment, then slowly pulled her shirt up and off over her head, holding his breath as his eyes swept over her. 

She lifted her arms for him and held her breath too, looking down at him, her face warm.

He met her eyes once more and smiled. “You are absolutely breath-taking,” he whispered.

Shaking her head slightly, she cupped his face in her hand, “you are.” She said quietly.

Oliver leaned into her touch, then kissed her softly on the lips, slow and exploratory, becoming familiar with the way her mouth felt beneath his own, the way her tongue danced hesitantly, touching the tip of his. 

She brushed her fingers over his face then lowered her hand back to his chest, brushing her fingers over his skin lightly. 

He shuddered beneath her a little, sliding his hands up slowly along her ribcages. 

She shivered in response, cocking her head slightly as she explored his mouth, her other hand sliding into his hair.

Oliver shifted once more, turning them and laying her down on the couch on her back, smiling down at her for a moment before trailing kisses down her neck and collarbone.

Chloe shivered once more, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she relaxed against couch.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her right breast, then sat up a little, moving to undo the front clasp of her bra and forcing himself to take a deep breath as he parted the material and drank in the sight of her. 

Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes and looked up at him, her eyes dark but wide.

“Gorgeous,” he murmured, leaning down and capturing her nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it.

She moaned quietly at the feel of his warm mouth around her breasts and instinctively, she lifted her legs and wrapped them around him.

He alternated between breasts, paying them each equal attention, enjoying the moans that came from her throat, the way that her legs tightened around his waist a little. He kissed his way slowly down her stomach, unbuttoning the button on her jeans and then unzipping them. “Kinda wish you had that jacket on again,” he admitted with a smirk.

Chloe opened her eyes at that, her face growing warm, “yeah?’ She asked, holding her breath as she looked down at him.

He groaned involuntarily. “It kills me that you have no idea how amazingly hot you are,” he admitted, slowly sliding her jeans down her legs.

She grinned, shaking her head a little as she lifted her hips to help him, “maybe I’ll believe you eventually.”

“I’ll just keep telling you until you do,” he informed her, winking and leaning down to press a kiss to her navel. 

Holding her breath, she laid back down then cocked her head to watch him, “I guess I don’t have to convince you.”

“Convince me?” he echoed, nibbling his way across her stomach.

“Of how amazingly hot _you_ are.” She murmured, looking at him.

He looked up at her, meeting her eyes. “Well, I never really thought _you_ thought so,” he confessed.

“I’m not blind,” she said, lifting a hand to touch his cheek.

“Neither am I,” he assured her, leaning into her touch and holding her gaze. 

She lifted her head and cupped the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Holding his gaze, she brushed her nose against his then kissed him deeply.

He returned the kiss without hesitation, holding himself up with his hands near her head. 

Chloe relaxed as they kissed, then she let go of his neck and ran her hands down his bare back, enjoying the feel of his muscles under her palm even as she tried to get him to lower his body on top of hers.

He smiled at her silent urging, shifting to give in to what she wanted, his hips pressed against hers. He slid his hand down her chest, resting his hand against her right hip, his thumb brushing against her skin.

She wrapped her legs around him once more, lifting her own hips and pressing herself against him slowly, this was pretty much where they had stopped last time.

“So eager,” he murmured with a soft smile, pressing his lips against her throat and hooking his fingers in her underwear, tugging them down. 

“Been thinking about this since last time,” she murmured, turning her head and biting lightly on his earlobe.

“Me too,” he admitted, groaning softly at the feel of her teeth against his ear. He cupped her center lightly in one hand.

Chloe moaned against his ear, her legs tightening around him as she pressed against his hand.

Oliver shifted again, easing one finger inside her tight heat and groaning again. He grazed her clit lightly with the pad of his thumb.

“Ollie,” she gasped, closing her eyes and thrusting against his hand even as she lowered her hands between them, her nails running against his lower stomach until she reached his pants.

“Slow down there, Sidekick. Plenty of time,” he murmured, easing a second finger inside of her and moving them in and out of her slowly.

She undid his pants anyway, with some difficulty, but let go a moment later as she moved her hips against his fingers, opening her eyes to look up at him.

Oliver smiled when she opened her eyes, gazing down at her intently as he continued to move his fingers, trying to prepare her body. He let his thumb trace a couple of lazy circles over her sensitive nub. 

Her eyes were dark as she held his gaze, lifting her legs higher as she moved her hips against his hands, moaning as she did her best to keep her eyes on him. The fact that she was there, with _him_ and that he wanted her like this only serving to bring her closer to the edge.

He moved suddenly, hands on her thighs and parting them farther before he dipped his head between her legs and lapped lightly at her slit, sliding a finger back inside her at the same time. 

She cried loudly at the sudden sensation of his mouth against her, her back arched and she thrust against him, even though she was trying to keep her eyes on him, she couldn’t keep them open anymore at the overwhelming sensation he was causing her.

Chloe lifted a hand to his hair and all it took were a couple more thrusts before she moaned again, release washing over her quickly after.

He felt her inner muscles fluttering against his fingers and groaned a little, licking them clean after he pulled them from inside her, looking up at her face. Her chest was flushed pink and he’d never seen her look more beautiful. “Gorgeous,” he whispered.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, staring up at him for a moment before pushing herself up and kissing him deeply, wanting him closer to her and wanting more.

Oliver kissed her back easily, sliding his arms beneath her. He could hardly believe how responsive she was. He could feel her body relaxing under his and he nipped lightly at her lower lip, then brushed his nose over hers. 

Chloe wrapped her arms around his back as she opened her eyes again, lowering her hands down to his lower back before pushing his pants down.

He watched her intently, his eyes dark as he shifted atop her, letting her divest him of his pants and boxers, leaving no barriers left between them. 

She pushed them down then kicked them the rest of the way before taking a deep breath and looking back at him once more, her heart beating fast against her chest.

“You sure?” he asked quietly, searching her eyes.

“Yes,” she murmured, reaching between them and looking down then wrapping her fingers around him and looking up at him again.

He sucked in a breath at her actions, gritting his teeth a little as his eyes darkened even more. “Are you on the pill?” he murmured.

“Condom.” She stilled, her eyes widening when she realized she had completely forgotten, “I think I have one in my purse.”

He smiled at that, and pressed a kiss to her mouth before shifting and getting to his feet, heading toward her desk where her purse was sitting. He picked it up and carried it over to her, taking the opportunity to let his gaze linger over her bare body.

She watched him too, holding her breath even as she took the purse and started searching blindly through it, but kept her eyes on his perfect body.

He flashed her a smile, a real genuine smile as he watched her. “Any luck?” 

Chloe blinked and actually turned her attention to her purse, searching for a moment longer before pulling one out and relaxing slightly as she dropped the purse to the floor, “got it.”

“Thank God.” He reached out and took it from her without hesitation, ripping open the package and removing the condom.

She smiled a little then shifted on the couch, holding out her hand, “I’ll do it.”

He held it out to her once more, smiling back.

Chloe took it and sat up, she knew she should feel a lot more uncomfortable than she did, but she wasn’t complaining, she looked at him for a moment then rolled the condom down over his length carefully.

Oliver picked her up suddenly, grinning at the surprise that registered on her face. Then he laid down on the sofa, pulling her down on top of him. 

She blinked and looked down at him, arching her eyebrows a little then shifting slightly, “I guess that’s fair.” 

“I thought I’d let you take charge here,” he admitted, gazing up at her. “Is that all right?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, smirking slightly then reaching for him, she couldn’t help but to remember how good it had felt, despite her intoxication at the time, to have him doing exactly what _she_ wanted. She positioned herself over him, reaching for him once more and holding his gaze as she slowly lowered her body over his, her knees pressing against the couch on either side of him.

He smirked back up at her, holding his breath, and holding still as she slid down on him slowly. He reached out and rested his hands on her hips, locking eyes with her. 

She took a deep breath and looked down at him her eyes on his as she lowered her upper body and brushed her lips against his, he was definitely bigger than she was used to, but he felt amazing.

He kissed her softly, one hand moving to tangle in her hair as he held his body still and in check despite his body’s protests. 

She kissed him back, taking a moment before tentatively moving slowly against him.

Oliver groaned softly, laying his head against the couch and gritting his teeth a little. “God, Chloe,” he whispered. 

She couldn’t help but smile at the look on his face as he broke the kiss, as she moved over him, she lowered her lips to his neck and nibbled gently. 

He slid his hands down her bare back, closing his eyes as his fingers explore the softness of her skin. 

She shivered slightly, kissing his neck and jaw as she started to pick up the pace.

He cupped her ass in his hands, squeezing lightly and despite his instinct to move and meet her halfway, he held relatively still, letting her set the pace and have control. 

Chloe gasped quietly but smirked, lifting her head to look at him and brushing her nose against his.

He smirked back up at her, raising his eyebrows and capturing her lips in another soft kiss. 

She returned the kiss, sliding her fingers through his hair as she moved her other hand down his side.

Oliver slid his hand up her side, brushing lightly against the side of her breast, then up her arm to her shoulder and then her neck til he reached her cheek, cupping it lightly in his hand. 

She leaned into his touch and held her breath, looking up at him before then digging her nails lightly against his side.

“You feel incredible,” he murmured. 

“So do you,” she murmured, angling her hips and moaning as he moved in deeper.

He moved then, as well, this time meeting her halfway as he held her gaze, his eyes dark.

Chloe gasped loudly at that, closing her eyes as her back arched upward slightly at the overwhelming but amazing sensation that caused. 

He shifted, sitting up abruptly so she was on his lap, his arms winding around her as he surged up against her again, kissing her neck, then her shoulder. 

She bent her legs , pressing against the couch as she sat on his lap, shivering at the feel of his lips as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, holding him close even as they continued to move together.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered against her ear, nipping lightly at her lobe as one of his hands slid down between them and began to stroke her with just-barely-there touches. 

Chloe shivered and moaned once more, her arms tightening around him and even though she tried to say something back to him, she couldn’t focus enough to, she turned her head and kissed his neck then instinctively started to suck on his skin as she moved against him and against his hand.

He watched her moving on him, her skin brushing against him, burning him, emblazoning this moment in his memory for eternity. He gently threaded his free hand through her hair, pulling back to gaze at her as he moved his fingers against her with more pressure, wanting to watch her come apart in his arms. “Come for me, Chloe,” he whispered. 

The words were unnecessary, she tilted her head back and opened her eyes to look at him, her own intense as she slammed her hips against his, moaning a couple of times more before crying out as she finally reached her orgasm. No doubt the most amazing, mind-blowing one of her life. Her muscles were clinging tightly to him as her body was shaking slightly as it tried to relieve the tension but she did her best to keep her eyes open and watch him, because she didn’t want to miss the look on _his_ face and see what _she_ could do to Oliver Queen.

He held still until her climax began to subside, then he moved again, laying her under him on the sofa and holding her gaze as he thrust into her again, his own body feeling shaky as he approached orgasm. He shifted one hand to hold onto her hip while the other moved between them again, stroking her once more as a cocky smile quirked his mouth upwards.

She had barely gotten over her _second_ orgasm when she felt her body tensing once again, with a deep breath, she stared up at him, her eyes wide as she held on to him with her arms, because she really didn’t have that much control left on her legs.

“Just let go,” he murmured, continuing to stroke her as he thrust into her at the same time. 

Chloe lowered her hands to his back, trying her best to hold on to him as he moved into her, quickly bringing her back up to the edge, she had no idea how he was doing this, but within a few more thrusts, she heard herself moaning louder once more, her back arching under him, her nails digging into his sides. 

It didn’t take much longer for her to feel the wave of release once again, not as strong this time, but still amazing, “Ollie,” she gasped, forcing her muscles to keep on clinging to him as she moved still, trying to get him to feel the same.

He smiled quickly but it dissolved into something else as he held her gaze, thrusting into her faster, just twice more before his own release finally hit and he shuddered, burying his face into her neck for a moment, breathing heavily. 

Even as she tried to catch her breath, she wrapped her arms around him and held him to her, maybe it was just how incredible he had made her feel, maybe it was because she hadn’t felt this connected to someone in _ever_ , but she wanted to keep him there for the time being.

He shifted a moment later, though, taking her with him and rolling them on the sofa. It was just barely wide enough for them to lay side by side facing one another, one arm beneath her head, pillowing it, the other wrapped around her waist. He pressed a kiss to her temple and let his eyes shut. 

She leaned into his arm, turning her head and pressing her nose against his neck as she tried to catch her breath, only to hear how fast his heart was beating.

After a few moments passed, he lifted the hand that was resting on her hip to her face, cupping her cheek in his hand. “You okay?” he murmured. 

“Yeah,” she whispered, leaning into his touch then taking a deep breath and pulling her face back to look up at him, “you?”

He smiled at that, nodding. “I’m good.” 

“You’re amazing,” she murmured, her expression serious as she looked up at him.

He brushes his thumb lightly back and forth over her cheek. “ _We_ were amazing,” he corrected her.

Chloe smiled softly, shyly but nodded slightly.

Oliver couldn’t help but smile at her obvious shyness considering what they’d just done together. He kissed her forehead lightly, draping his arm around her once more. 

She sighed softly and leaned back against his arm, closing her eyes again and relaxing a little more, with no real intention to move for now.

He gazed at her for a long moment, knowing he wouldn’t be sneaking away like he often had in the past from women he’d slept with. But this time he didn’t even want to. He rubbed her hip gently and then leaned his head against hers, closing his eyes as sleep tugged at him. They could talk later.


	8. Chapter 8

She hadn’t meant to fall asleep as hard as she had, they had adjusted and managed to pull the throw that was over the back of the couch over them at some point and apparently that had been comfortable enough for them to pass out. 

And apparently she had slept extremely had because as far as she could tell, the sun was already up. And she was still there, arms and legs tangled with Oliver’s, his arm wrapped around her, her nose pressed against his chest. She only had to figure out how to get _out_. 

And she knew she had to, because the second she woke up, she saw her own hand resting against his chest and her wedding ring still on her finger. She wasn’t even divorced yet and as amazing as Oliver was, she couldn’t do this to him. Couldn’t use him to forget her awful luck with men, especially not when it felt like he actually _cared_. 

And yes, she should have considered this before sleeping with him, but not letting this go any further was still better than letting it go on without saying anything. 

With a deep breath, she pulled away from him slowly, doing her best to figure out how to climb _over_ him to get out from the couch.

He opened his eyes slowly when he felt her shift beside him. He smiled a little and stretched beside her, his hand slipping around to stroke her back. “Morning,” he mumbled.

“Hey,” she said, holding her breath but didn’t waste time before pushing herself up.

He raised his eyebrows a little as she sat up quickly. “Where’s the fire?” he joked.

Chloe shook her head a little, her chest clenching at how light his voice sounded, “it’s already morning.”

“I noticed. The whole sunlight thing...” He motioned to the window above them, beams of sun streaming inside. 

“I had... things to do,” she told him, wanting to get up but feeling far too aware of how naked she was.

Oliver paused for a moment, taking note of the way she wasn’t meeting his eyes. “Oh.” 

“And Lois must be worried,” she swallowed hard, taking a deep breath before forcing herself to pull a leg over his and stand up.

“Right.” He nodded a little, looking up at her for a moment. He’d done this enough that he knew _exactly_ what she was doing. “I guess I should get out of your hair then.” 

She nodded slightly, pulling her shirt on and reaching for her underwear, her heart beating fast against her chest.

When she didn’t protest, he felt his stomach tighten right along with his jaw, which he worked to relax as he dressed quickly. “See you around?” he asked a bit too casually. 

“Yeah,” she nodded, picking up her jeans and sliding them on even though the muscles on her legs were protesting any kind of movement, “see you later,” she said, finally glancing at him.

This time it was he who didn’t meet _her_ eyes. “Have a good day,” he said, his voice and expression utterly unreadable as he headed out the door without looking back. 

She finished zipping her pants and turned to watch him as he walked out, she knew she had to do this, she knew it was for the better. She just didn’t know why she felt as terrible as she had when Jimmy ended their marriage a couple of months prior.

* * * 

Clark was more than a little surprised to get the call from Chloe a few days later asking him to meet her at Isis. But he showed up, on time, glancing around her office at Isis. When he didn’t see her, he raised his eyebrows a little. “Chloe?” 

“In here,” she called from the secret room in the back of the building and took a deep breath.

He drew in a breath and headed toward the back of the building, raising his eyebrows a little. “What’s going on?” 

“I found out what happened,” she side, pulling up images on the screens around the room. “How I got infected.” She told him, glancing at him. She had done very little other than to research and avoid Oliver in the past few days. They had exchanged some emails when he asked her about her research but that had been about it and she was relieved to know that he was okay with keeping things business-only. Even if she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“You did?” There was a hint of surprise in his voice as he moved closer to her, shaking his head. “So what happened? How did you get infected?” 

“My drink,” she said, nodding to one of the screens, “a local distillery from Smallville decided to experiment on making their cranberry liquor look better, shinier,” she arched an eyebrow, “three guesses as to what they used.”

He paused, looking confused for a moment, then his expression growing stony. “I’ve got to stop them then.” 

“We do,” she agreed, “I already alerted the local bars, there have been no deaths that I can tell yet, but I managed to track down one guy and three girls who had the same symptoms as me and one of the girls ended up in the hospital.”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “All we need to do is remove all the red Kryptonite from the place and convince the people who run it to stop using it since it’s making people sick.” 

“Yeah,” she said, then took a step forward, “but _you_ can’t go anywhere near any of this, it’s bad enough that there are bottles of this thing all over town, Clark.”

He drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, I know. It’ll have to be you and Oliver.” 

Her stomach tightened at that but she nodded, “and the boys,” she agreed, her voice quieter.

“Yeah. I guess I’ll give him a call and let him know.” He glanced toward the door.

“Okay,” she agreed once more, surprised by the offer, “I was just putting together an email for them, let him know I’m sending in the details.”

Nodding once more, Clark headed away. “I will.” 

She let out her breath and rubbed her hands over her face, that made things slightly easier.

* * * 

When Oliver saw Clark’s name pop up on the caller ID, he almost chose to ignore it. After the third ring, though, he reluctantly picked it up and pressed it to his ear. “Clark. What can I do for you?” Because he knew it wasn’t any kind of social call. 

“Oliver,” he greeted then arched his eyebrows, “I just went to see Chloe and she will need your help.”

He paused at that, his chest tightening at the realization that she wanted to avoid him so badly she couldn’t even call him herself. “With what?” His voice was distant.

“She found a place that is making liquor with the red kryptonite, that’s how she got infected and other people have already gotten hurt,” there was a hint of guilt in his voice.

Oliver was silent for a moment. “All right. Have her send me the details and I’ll get on it.” 

“She said she will email you and the others,” Clark said, “I would help but...”

“I know,” he said, his voice surprisingly understanding. 

“Thank you,” he said then nodded, “let me know how it goes.”

“Will do.” He hung up the phone and sat back in his chair, sighing inaudibly. 

* * *

From: Watchtower (555-0164)  
10:35 AM: Good work last night.

From: Emerald Archer (555-3504)  
10:47 AM: Thanks.

From: Watchtower (555-0164)  
10:49 AM: Do you have a Doctor you might be able to sign on some documents without asking too many questions?

From: Emerald Archer (555-3504)  
10:54 AM: Yes.

From: Watchtower (555-0164)  
11:02 AM: I created some documents about the symptoms I had so they can be used as proof, but whoever investigates this might want to contact the doctor that signs it off. So we can stop them from producing anymore.

From: Emerald Archer (555-3504)  
11:18 AM: Fine. Not a problem.

From: Watchtower (555-0164)  
11:25 AM: Should I have Bart come by and get them?

From: Emerald Archer (555-3504)  
11:28 AM: He’s in Keystone.

From: Watchtower (555-0164)  
11:30 AM: Oh, I will just drop it off then, if that’s okay.

From: Emerald Archer (555-3504)  
11:32 AM: Yeah, that’s fine. See you soon.

From: Watchtower (555-0164)  
11:35 AM: I’ll be there in about an hour.

From: Emerald Archer (555-3504)  
11:41 AM: All right.

A couple of minutes after twelve thirty, Chloe made her way up to the top floor of Queen Industries once again, with the envelope in hand. This time, however, his assistance was there and despite the weird look the woman gave her, more like a glare, Chloe forced herself to smile at her until the woman told her she could go in.

Her stomach was in knots and her chest was tight, she knew he was mad at her and she really couldn’t blame him but as soon as this particular mission was taken care of, she wouldn’t bother him anymore and chances were, he wouldn’t be in Metropolis for that much longer anyway. 

“Oliver?” She called quietly as she stepped into his office.

He stayed seated at his desk when he heard the door open, but he did look up, pursing his lips, his expression unreadable, tightly controlled. “Come on in.” 

Chloe held her breath and nodded a little, closing the door, “I won’t take too much of your time.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you have better things to do.” His expression didn’t change. He simply held his hand out for the envelope. 

Her stomach clenched and she nodded slightly, approaching the desk and holding the envelope out to him, “and you too. Let me know when I can pick them up and I will take care of it. Or have your Doctor call me if you prefer.”

“No, that would be _your_ preference, Chloe, not mine,” he responded, his jaw tightening a little as he took the manila envelope from her.

Her eyes widened a little at his words but she shook her head, “I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.” 

“I don’t know what made you reach that conclusion, but it’s not true.” She said firmly.

He gave her a look, not responding.

She arched her eyebrows and stood up straight, “like you’ve never had a one night stand before, Oliver?”

At that, he rose to his feet, his eyes narrowing. “Not with a _friend_ , no. I haven’t.” 

Chloe felt her stomach tighten even more, “well, neither have I.” With a friend or otherwise, “but it doesn’t have to be any different than what you’re used to.”

“Sure,” he said blandly. 

“No,” she frowned, even thought she felt guilty for saying anything at all, “tell me.”

“Tell you what?” 

“What you are thinking, what you were expecting,” she told him, “because I’m sure you remember, Oliver, I was married less than two months ago. Technically, I still am.”

“Well, hopefully I made a good stand in for your husband for the night then,” he said flatly.

“This is exactly what I was trying to avoid,” she told him, taking a deep breath and shaking her head.

“I’m not sure how you expected me to react, Chloe.” 

“I’m not sure either, Oliver.” She said, taking a deep breath, “I told you before, it was better to forget this whole thing,” she added, her voice quieter as she looked down.

Oliver held his breath for a moment, because she was right. She had told him just that. He blew out a breath and looked away for a moment before picking up his phone. “Take the rest of the afternoon off,” he instructed his secretary. “Yes, with pay.” He shook his head a little and hung up a second later, looking at Chloe once more.

She sighed softly at that and rubbed her hands over her face, she knew it was her fault, she had let things go that far and she had been meaning to explain herself to him but when he didn’t contact her, she figured it was for the better. Clearly, she’d been wrong. “I’m sorry I let it go that far.” She said sincerely, looking over at him again.

“Me too,” he admitted quietly, meeting her eyes. 

Her chest tightened at that and she shook her head slightly, “it was my fault,” she admitted quietly, “I knew that I still had things to resolve with Jimmy, especially after last time I saw him, and I was trying to ignore it and I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of everything.”

“I sort of pushed for it, didn’t I?” He leaned against the desk, pursing his lips. He rubbed his hands over his face. 

“You didn’t push for anything I didn’t already want.” She murmured, watching him.

“I wanted it, too,” he said just as softly, meeting her eyes once more.

Chewing on the inside of her lip, she looked at him for a moment, “the point is,” she forced herself to say, “you _are_ my friend, Oliver and you’re a really good one and- I don’t want to get you involved in this mess.”

He was quiet for a moment. “That’s what friends do, though, isn’t it? Get involved in one another’s messes?” He drew in a breath and then let it out slowly, moving away from the desk and closer to her.

“Not like this,” she said, holding her breath, “and I don’t wanna hurt you, Oliver.”

He lifted his hand to her cheek, gazing at her intently for a long moment, then wrapping his arms around her silently. 

She closed her eyes, stilling for a moment before wrapping her arms around him, her chest even tighter than before, “why are you doing this?” She whispered.

He rested his head against hers as he held her, one hand gently stroking down her back, but he didn’t respond. Because he didn’t know the answer and he definitely didn’t have the words. 

Chloe frowned slightly at his silence and pulled back to look at him, swallowing hard as she did, he had done nothing but be accepting and supportive of her since she showed up in his office, even before that, during her birthday, and it was finally clicking for her why.

Oliver held his breath as she looked at him, and he raised his eyebrows a little. “You all right, Sidekick?” 

“Is it because you feel guilty?” She whispered, searching his eyes.

He cocked his head to the side. “Guilty?” he echoed uncertainly.

“About involving me on what happened with Lex,” she asked, “because I told you. I don’t blame you.”

He paused for a moment. Was that why he was acting the way he was with her? Because he felt guilty for dragging her into _his_ mess? It made sense, in a way. But it didn’t feel right. At least not entirely right anyway. “Do you really think the only reason I’d possibly get involved in your life is because I felt guilty?” 

“Not entirely.” She whispered, searching his eyes, “but I know I hurt you, not just now, but also with everything I said when I was on RedK, and you have done nothing but welcome me with open arms, literally.”

“Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment.” His words were light and teasing, trying to relieve the sudden tension in the room there between them again. 

“I think you really must be,” she said quietly, trying for a smile.

“Or maybe I just like you,” he said with a small smile.

It was her turn to remain silent, her stomach clenching as she held her breath and stared up at him.

“It’s not really _that_ unbelievable,” he told her quietly.

She stared at him for a moment and shook her head a little, “it is.”

“Why is it?” he asked softly, watching her.

“Because,” she said quietly, searching his eyes.

“Explain it to me.” His voice was gentle.

“You’re an amazing guy, Oliver.” She told him quietly, “you don’t need to deal with this.”

He raised his eyebrows at that. “Don’t you think you should let _me_ decide what I can and can’t deal with?” 

“You’re really okay with this?” She asked, holding her breath.

“Which part are you talking about, Chloe?” 

“I’m not sure,” she admitted, “all of it? The part where I have no idea where this is going and the part where I’m still married and I have no idea what is going on with my life?”

He gazed at her, leaning against the desk once more. “I know who you are,” he said softly. “Whatever happens. I know you.”

Her face softened at that and her eyes teared up slightly, if nothing else the past few days had showed her just how much truth there was to that sentence. She nodded a little, holding her breath.

“Come here,” he murmured, holding his arms out once more.

She couldn’t help but smiled at the gesture, shaking her head, she stepped closer and into his arms, wrapping her arms around him.

“Whatever happens, Chloe, you’re gonna be okay,” he whispered as he held her tightly. 

She turned her head on his shoulder and closer her eyes, “maybe you can help me figure it out.” She whispered without even really realizing she was saying it.

He smiled faintly at that, resting his chin atop her head. “You got it.”

Chloe tightened her arms around him for a moment then took a deep breath and looked up at him, “thank you.”

Oliver met her eyes, nodding slowly. “You’re welcome.” 

She smiled a little and cupped his cheek, “just when I thought there was no way you could get anymore amazing than the other night.”

He leaned in a bit, mischief in his eyes. “That’s what friends are for,” he whispered.

She smirked slightly at that, “be amazing?”

“Yep.” He smirked back at her.

“Well, congratulations, because in that case, you are the best friend ever.” She grinned softly.

His expression softened at that and he kissed her forehead. “You too.”

Chloe smiled then lifted her head, brushing her lips against his softly, her chest felt warm, a lot different than it had felt when she first walked in. She had no idea what this was still, but she knew it was the start of something and right now, it felt like it was the start of something pretty, well, amazing.


	9. Chapter 9

Oliver swept through the doors of their new headquarters, raising his eyebrows a little even as he pushed the hood off his head. “Honey, we’re home.” He smirked, pulling off his glasses and heading toward his assigned station in Watchtower to begin placing his gear inside.

Chloe turned from the computer, she was still getting used to the new place, it was huge and the computers had just been set up by her and Vic but it was most definitely the dream headquarters if she could ever think of one. Besides it was high up in the sky and not underground and that made for a much better view. She smirked at the announcement and arched her eyebrows, “I know, I was tracking you.”

“Big Sister’s watching,” Vic said with a smirk as he headed inside next.

Oliver smirked, as well, but glanced over to where Chloe stood behind the main computer terminal. She definitely looked like she was in her element here. 

“Everything go okay then?” She asked the four of them as they walked further into the room.

“Everything was fine,” AC told her, nodding a little and casting a sidelong glance at Oliver. Then he shifted his gaze back to her before heading to his own assigned station, small smirk forming on his face. 

“You should come out with us sometime ‘Licious!” Bart grinned at her. 

“I’ll consider once I have a costume,” she smiled at him even as she turned to look at Oliver, confused by what AC was trying to say.

Oliver shrugged a little, as well, not sure what AC was implying there, either. “Everything run okay from this end of things?” 

“Yeah, the machines are pretty amazing,” she told him, taking a few stops toward him.

He smiled. “Good.” He moved toward her as well, raising his eyebrows as he glanced around, noting that the others were now all at their own little areas, stashing their gear.

Chloe glanced at the others for a second then back at him, smiling and then stilling and frowning, “you’re bleeding.”

He glanced down, remembering the wound on his upper arm. “It’s just a scratch.” 

“Looks more than just that,” she told him, stepping closer and cupping his as she lifted it carefully for closer inspection, “what happened?”

“The guy with the machete,” he said nonchalantly, shrugging a little. 

“Uh huh, just a scratch,” she told him, looking back up at him, “you should sit down so I can clean this and take a better look at it.

“Worried about me, Tower?” he teased, even as he obeyed, moving over to sit down on one of the stools.

“I just prefer you in one piece, Arrow,” she told him, looking him in the eyes once he sat down and they were about the same height.

A smile quirked his mouth upwards. “All right. I’m sitting.” He gazed back at her.

She looked down at the table where the first aid kit was still sitting behind the stool and reached for it, “if it is bad, we’re calling your doctor friend.”

“You’ll like Emil,” he told her, raising his eyebrows a little. 

“He has helped us before,” she reminded him, picking up a cotton ball, soaking it then starting to wipe around his cut carefully.

Oliver winced a little involuntarily, then bit the inside of his cheek to force himself to stay still.

“Does it hurt?” She asked, arching her eyebrows and cocking her head to look up at him.

“Nah.” He shook his head.

“Good,” she said quietly, turning back to his arm but glancing back at his face. 

“Ahem,” Bart grinned, stepping forward.

Oliver blinked a couple of times and looked over at him. “Yeah?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Are we going to eat or what?”

Chloe looked over at Bart, straightening when she noticed all three pairs of eyes were on her and Oliver. “I thought we agreed on going out after mission?” She asked.

“Well, we weren’t sure if the plans had changed.” Victor raised his eyebrows a little. 

“Why would they have changed?” Chloe asked, unsure. 

“Bossman still hasn’t changed and looks like he might be a while,” Bart smirked and winked.

Oliver’s eyebrows rose a little higher at that and he cocked his head to the side. “Well, I did get nicked by a machete,” he pointed out. 

AC smirked, too. “Yeah, we know, Dude. What do you say we head out? They can catch up when they’re through here.”

“We won’t be long,” Chloe tried, shifting uncomfortably. 

“Take your time,” Vic said, starting to the elevator.

“Guys, where are you going?” Oliver shook his head a little. 

“That pizza place on Main,” AC called over his shoulder. “It’s open late.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t!” Bart called as they got into the elevator. 

Chloe cocked her head and watched at they left before turning back to Oliver and arching her eyebrows.

He held his hands up, shaking his head. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t say a word.” 

“Neither did I,” she told him, taking a deep breath, “maybe we are worse at this than we thought and don’t raise your arm like that,” she frowned, pulling his injured arm back down.

“Well, at least we have the place to ourselves for the moment.” He waggled his eyebrows a little. 

“And I need to finish up with your cut so don’t get any ideas,” she said, smirking a little at him before brushing the cotton ball over the cut a little more firmly.

“I already have ideas... _ow_ ,” he complained.

“I thought you said it didn’t hurt,” Chloe frowned, looking up at him again.

“I lied.” He frowned, too, his lower lip sticking out a little. 

She smirked at him and shook her head, “well, deal with it, I’m almost done,” she said before pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth then turning back to his arm. 

He watched her, a small smile on his face after she kissed him. His uninjured arm snuck around her waist, tugging her a little closer to him. 

Chloe glanced over at him and smiled too, shifting a little closer but turning her attention back to his arm and cleaning the cut a little more gently this time. 

“You really like it here?” he asked, his voice soft. 

“Yeah,” she whispered, nodding slightly, “it’s really amazing, Ollie.” She glanced at him again, “do you?”

“I think it’s a good place for a new beginning.” He raised his eyebrows a little. 

“Yeah,” she breathed, putting the cotton ball down and turning toward him, “it feels like it.”

He met her eyes, holding her gaze and nodding slightly. “Yes, it does.” 

Her stomach knotted and she searched his eyes for a moment before leaning in and kissing him softly. “Thank you for finding the place and coming up with this.”

Oliver reached up to cup her cheek in one hand. “Thanks for agreeing to do this whole Watchtower gig full time.” 

She took a deep breath at that and nodded, smiling at him, “after getting back to it tonight,” she whispered, “it really does feel like this is where I belong.”

He stroked her skin with the pad of his thumb. “It is,” he agreed.

She leaned into his touch and took a deep breath, “should you change so we can go meet the guys?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Well, they did say the place was open late.” He winked at her, leaning in and kissing her softly.

Chloe smiled against his lips, kissing him back and lifting her hands to his sides, “true, but aren’t you hungry? I mean that was quite a workout tonight.”

“Oh, I’m hungry.” He smirked. “But not necessarily for _food_.” 

She grinned softly and shrugged, “well, in that case...” she stepped closer, reaching for the zipper on his vest and pulling it down slowly. 

Oliver grinned back at her and leaned in to kiss her once more. 

“I _knew_ it!” AC said with a laugh as he and Vic and Bart stood in the doorway once more. 

Chloe stilled and pulled away, her eyes widening as she looked at Oliver rather than over her shoulder where the boys were by the door.

“We _all_ knew it,” Vic said, rolling his eyes a little. “Can we go now? I’m starving.” 

Oliver pursed his lips, holding Chloe’s gaze and raising his eyebrows a little. “You guys are buying your own,” he informed them.

She took a deep breath then smiled a little at Oliver before glancing over her shoulder, “also, we’re getting a lock for that door.” 

“You got the girl, bossman, the _least_ you can do is buy the rest of us food.” Bart smirked. 

“Well, if you hadn’t been spying on us, I would have.” Oliver smirked back at him, then rose to his feet. 

“Wouldn’t have to spy if you had just told us what we already knew,” Vic said. 

He rolled his eyes at that. “You’re still buying your own pizza, Boys. Now _out_.” 

“We’ll get a table for _five_ ,” AC called, “we’re waiting.” 

Chloe rolled her eyes a little but shook her head as she turned to look at Oliver again. 

“Well, hope you’re not _too_ hungry,” Oliver called back, smirking as he watched them go. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Chloe. 

She let out a breath as the boys left again and ran a hand through her hair, “three down?” She said, chewing on her bottom lip.

He wound his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. “It’ll be fine, Gorgeous,” he whispered, offering her a soft smile. 

Chloe nodded a little, kissing his cheek then reluctantly pulling back, “alright, go change and we will go get something to eat.”

He sighed, standing up. “I’m gonna kill them,” he grumbled, heading off to change clothes. 

“At least we can go somewhere with a door that locks after dinner,” she called after him, grinning softly. 

“We could always disable their security clearance.” He smirked at the thought.

“Assuming they actually left the building this time,” she pointed out, glancing toward the glass doors.

He groaned. “That’s it. First thing Monday I’m replacing the glass doors with mechanical steel ones. They’ll have to use their security clearance to get in here, too.”

She grinned and shook her head, “they are rarely in town, Ollie. I think we’ll be okay.” 

“Yeah, but then Clark will have to do it, too,” he pointed out, smirking. 

“Ah,” she smirked, shaking her head, “the truth comes out.”

“And I’m being _nice_ by not suggesting a layer of kryptonite that has to be disabled before he’s allowed in.” 

“Mhmm, we would never hear the end of that.” She smirked. 

“Well, we’re evil anyway.” He smirked, too, unzipping his vest and placing it in his storage locker.

She took a deep breath and watched him as he undressed, nodding slightly, “sure we are.”

He paused and turned to look at her, raising his eyebrows. “Are you checking me out?” he teased. 

Chloe paused and arched her eyebrow innocently, “what? “

He smirked. “You were.” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she grinned softly. 

“Sure you don’t.” He winked at her.

“Are you ready yet?” She smirked at him, “We need to get dinner over with soon.”

“Still on the dinner thing, huh?” He sighed. “I suppose I’ll feed _you_.” He smirked and quickly finished changing clothes before draping an arm around her shoulders. 

“You know they won’t leave us alone otherwise,” she said, wrapping an arm around him too and smiling up at him. 

Oliver pressed a kiss to her temple. “Well, at least we don’t have to pretend we’re just friends around them anymore.” 

Her chest tightened a little at that and she nodded a little, brushing her nose to his jaw, “yeah, and they are guys so we won’t get 300 questions.”

“It can be a sort of trial run.” He cupped her cheek once more. 

Nodding slightly, she leaned into him, “everyone will know sooner or later.” 

Oliver nodded, as well, and kissed her softly. “Let’s get out of here.” 

Chloe kissed him back for a moment then pulled away, nodding as she reached for her purse and her jacket, the green jacket he had given her on her birthday, “let’s go.” 

“Have I mentioned that I really like the way you look in green?” 

“You might have, once or twice,” she teased, sliding her arms into the jacket. 

He grinned. “If you get a costume, I think it should be green.” 

“It can’t be green,” she smirked, pushing the door open and making her way to the elevator, facing him as she walked backward, “that’s your color. I’m thinking black.”

“Black and green?” He arched his eyebrows a little. 

“Black and black.” She said, grinning at him as she pressed the button for the elevator, “you already picked my name, Arrow. I get to pick my own costume.”

He pouted at that. “You can change your name if I can pick your costume?” he said hopefully.

“You can pick a costume,” she said, smirking slowly, “just not one I’d wear in public.”

Oliver paused, his eyebrows shooting up. “We’re going shopping after dinner.” 

“It’s almost one in the morning,” she grinned, taking his hand and pulling him into the elevator as the doors slid open, “it will have to wait.”

He followed her onto the elevator without hesitation. Somehow, he had a feeling it was going to be well worth the wait.


End file.
